Presented by Zum
Having access to real-time data to know a child’s location on the bus, ridership status, and accurate ETA information not only increases student safety, it significantly impacts families, drivers, school and district administrators, and operations.
Parents have peace of mind with real-time, AI-powered notifications that their child has boarded the bus and arrived at or departed school safely and on-time. Drivers are informed of each student’s location and individual needs. School administrators receive accurate ETA information, including on-time performance, ridership and attendance, and service quality, allowing district leaders and operators to make data-driven decisions to continuously improve service and customer experience.
“School districts deserve access to an end-to-end, cloud-based student transportation technology solution that connects all stakeholders on a single platform; makes daily operations safer, seamless, efficient, and accessible; and delivers a best-in-class experience for all,” said Ritu Narayan, CEO at Zum.
School districts deserve access to an end-to-end, AI-driven solution that makes daily operations safer, seamless, efficient, and accessible, and delivers a best-in-class experience for all.
Essential Tools For Every Stakeholder
A modern student transportation system keeps each stakeholder informed with tools that include:
• Parent App: Allows parents to track their child’s ride in real time, receive pick-up/drop-off notifications, cancel a ride if the student is not riding, and view driver and vehicle information.
• School Portal: School/district administrators can track all rides to and from their campus/district in real time, view driver and vehicle information, look up parent/guardian information and ride details by student name/ID, route number, and much more.
• School Administrator Mobile App: Provides school/district administrators with necessary information when and where they need it.
• Driver App: Drivers receive turn-by-turn directions, can view student-specific instructions, and conduct DVIR and child checks (pre-trip & post-trip inspections) for enhanced safety, making drivers’ day-to-day jobs safer, easier, and more efficient.
• Dispatch & Operations Dashboard: The automated system manages all aspects of student transportation operations, including:
• Real-time data to track and view active or past rides
• Intuitive dashboards that proactively identify potential issues or route delays, driver and vehicle status, and assignments
• Tools to manage daily operations to make changes or take corrective actions in real time to ensure safe, reliable service
Powerful Features That Address Unique Needs
In order to enhance trust, safety, transparency, and efficiency, student transportation technology must be easy to use, flexible to work within any operation, and designed with each user’s unique needs in mind.
Capabilities should include:
• A turnkey solution that will integrate with any existing software or data systems within the district
• End-to-end integration with GPS hardware for real-time telematics and diagnostics data
• Routing software, powered by AI to seamlessly plan, manage, and optimize transportation at scale
• RFID-enabled bus cards to track ridership and attendance data and deliver real-time notifications when a child has boarded or exited the bus
• Field Trip and Athletic Management that allows school/district administrators and coaches to track vehicle locations, view driver and vehicle information, make or edit trip requests, and manage invoicing
“What I love about this technology is the transparency,” said Jordan Gordon, COO at Kansas City Public Schools. “Our parents are kept informed and can track where their students are in real time and get those real-time updates from Zum. All of the technology works as it’s intended. That’s had a huge impact in modernizing our transportation system this year.”
At a time when parents can easily track their packages and food deliveries, all families and schools deserve to know when their kids have boarded the bus and made it to school safely. Most importantly, it ensures students experience a safe and reliable ride, which in turn prepares them for success in the classroom each day.