Zūm, the leader in modern student transportation, is raising the bar on safety for student transportation by introducing its safety technology, driver training, and certification program, SafeGuard. The comprehensive program ensures the quality and experience of each Zum driver, gives drivers the skills to deliver the best experience to each student on every ride and provides drivers access to its modern technology platform. The program’s enhanced training curriculum will improve driver safety and performance, provide specialized training for transportation professionals and implement new vehicle safety technology.
“Zum’s secret sauce to providing superior safety and service for students is pairing passionate and skilled student transportation professionals with the support of advanced training and modern technology,” said Ritu Narayan, CEO and founder of Zum. “The introduction of our SafeGuard program demonstrates our commitment to going above and beyond the industry standard to provide a safe and positive experience for students and drivers.”
Qualifying our skilled drivers
During the qualification process, drivers go through an extensive background check, including fingerprinting and a comprehensive driving test which is vehicle- and state-specific. Once verified with Zum, they participate in a multi-module training course, which Zum developed in partnership with industry leading safety experts as well as its in-house team of state certified trainers.
Zum has added specialized modules focused on behavioral science, response and de-escalation tactics and effective communication with parents and school districts. These courses are geared toward creating a safe and respectful environment on the school bus and will better equip Zum drivers with a variety of skills and methods to provide personalized care, emergency response and increased transparency between the drivers, parents and school district staff.
Zum’s service deploys the best type of vehicle for each route including buses, vans and sedans. All drivers must meet and exceed the safety standards that are required for the vehicle they will be operating along with any state and district specific requirements.
Before, during and after the ride
Zum takes a 360-degree approach to safety, which ensures student safety and well-being is the top priority before, during and after each and every ride. Through vehicle safety technology, the SafeGuard program ensures that all drivers are trained on and required to adhere to specific safety protocols while picking up or dropping off students and while driving. This includes the launch of a new pre-trip and post-trip Daily Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR), which requires drivers to submit electronic reports confirming the safety of their vehicle before and after the ride and ensures that any vehicle in need of immediate repair is taken out of service.
This complements the additional safety measures provided through the Zum platform. The Zum app allows parents to see the profile of their child’s driver, along with real-time information about vehicle location and their child’s pickup or dropoff status. With Zum, drivers are equipped with a GPS-enabled tablet that provides real-time route updates, personalized information on every student’s needs, as well as easy-to-use incident reporting capabilities. These enhanced features coupled with Zum’s fully integrated platform are built to keep students safe from the moment they leave the house and get on the bus until they are back home again.