REDWOOD CITY, Calif., — Zūm, the leader in Connected Mobility Experience (CMX), today announced a $100 million investment from TPG, bringing the company’s total funding to $430 million and valuing Zum at $1.7 billion. TPG is making its investment through The Rise Funds, the multi-sector strategy of its global impact investing platform, and in connection with the investment, Steve Ellis, a Managing Partner of The Rise Funds, will join Zum’s Board of Directors.

The funding follows the introduction of the Zum CMX platform, a Connected Mobility Experience designed to address the fragmentation, delays, and lack of visibility that have long defined student mobility. New research unveiled today quantifies the impact of this antiquated system, identifying that 54% of parents report their child experiences worry or concern about school transportation—contributing to what Zum calls a nationwide “Transportation Anxiety Crisis” — and roughly $15 billion educational loss a year.

Together, these developments reflect a growing recognition that while transportation moves vehicles, mobility is about moving people, and that daily experience has remained largely unchanged for decades.

“Every day, millions of students depend on systems that were never designed to work in real time,” said Ritu Narayan, Founder and CEO of Zum. “Zum CMX is our answer — a system we have been building and refining across 4,500 schools that brings visibility, coordination, and reliability to daily mobility. This funding allows us to accelerate what we know works and bring it to every student in America.”

Investor Conviction in a Category-Defining Platform
“TPG invested in Zum because it’s the leading innovator in one of the largest and most underserved critical transportation markets in the country,” said TPG’s Steve Ellis. “By fundamentally redesigning how student mobility is managed in real time, Zum’s fully integrated AI powered system is delivering measurable gains in reliability, efficiency, and outcomes for students, their families, and school districts across the country.”

This is a category-defining movement. Zum is not just improving student mobility —it is fundamentally redesigning how people, vehicles, and operations are coordinated in real time.

Across the $50 billion student mobility market, the largest segment of mass mobility, millions of daily rides are still managed through fragmented systems that lack real-time coordination. Zum CMX addresses this by integrating routing, dispatch, workforce management, safety, and communication into a single, continuous operating system.

Scaling Across School Districts Nationwide
Zum currently operates across more than 4,500 schools in 17 states, serving some of the largest districts in the country, including Los Angeles Unified School District, Boston Public Schools, San Francisco Unified School District, Omaha Public Schools, and Kansas City Public Schools.

The $100 million investment will accelerate:

Expansion of Zum CMX across additional school districts nationwide.
Continued investment in AI-driven coordination and predictive operations.
Scaled infrastructure to support large-scale, real-time mobility system.

Proven Outcomes at Scale
Zum CMX is already delivering measurable results across every district it serves:

98% on-time bus arrival rate on average.
20% reduction in bus fleet size through route efficiency.
4.9 out of 5-star parent satisfaction across more than 1.7 million reviews.
Up to 10% reduction in annual transportation costs for the San Francisco Unified School District.
These outcomes demonstrate how improved transportation reliability directly impacts attendance, learning readiness, and district financial sustainability.

The Transportation Anxiety Crisis
The investment coincides with the inaugural Zum Mobility Symposium in Sunnyvale, where school district leaders, policymakers, and researchers will gather to discuss the future of student mobility. At the event, Zum will formally introduce CMX as a new category and unveil research from NORC at the University of Chicago.

The findings highlight a system that was never designed to operate in real time, in which routing, dispatch, communication, and safety have historically operated in silos, creating anxiety for families and inefficiencies for districts. Zum CMX is designed to eliminate these root causes by bringing visibility, coordination, and accountability to every ride.

About Zum
Zum is revolutionizing mass mobility with its Connected Mobility Experience (Zum CMX) system that connects and coordinates people, vehicles, and operations in real time. In the $50 billion student mobility market – the largest segment of the mass mobility industry – Zum CMX is transforming a daily source of anxiety and disruption into a reliable, transparent, and efficient mobility experience for students and families. Today, more than 4,500 schools rely on Zum CMX. Recognized globally for its innovative approach and operational execution, Zum has been named to Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies, CNBC Disruptor 50 and Changemakers, the World Economic Forum, and the Financial Times’ Fastest Growing Companies lists. Zum is backed by leading investors including Sequoia Capital, GIC, SoftBank, and TPG. Zum, Zum CMX, and associated logos are trademarks of Zum Services, Inc. All rights reserved. Learn more at www.ridezum.com.

About TPG
TPG is a leading global alternative asset management firm, founded in San Francisco in 1992, with $303 billion of assets under management and investment and operational teams around the world. TPG invests across a broadly diversified set of strategies, including private equity, impact, credit, real estate, and market solutions, and our unique strategy is driven by collaboration, innovation, and inclusion. Our teams combine deep product and sector experience with broad capabilities and expertise to develop differentiated insights and add value for our fund investors, portfolio companies, management teams, and communities.

About The Rise Funds
The Rise Funds are a core pillar of TPG’s global impact investing platform. Founded in 2016 by TPG in partnership with Bono and Jeff Skoll, The Rise Funds invest behind impact entrepreneurs and growth-stage, high potential, mission-driven companies that are focused on building and scaling solutions to the world’s most complex challenges. The Rise Funds deliver capabilities and expertise across a wide variety of sectors and countries at scale, focusing on opportunities in climate and decarbonization, education, financial inclusion, healthcare, and impact technology.

TPG’s Impact Platform is the world’s largest of its kind, managing approximately $31 billion in assets across a family of funds that pursue non-concessionary returns and social and environmental impact at scale through growth equity, private equity, and infrastructure investing strategies.

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Transforming Student Transportation

Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS), in Missouri, significantly improved their student experience and academic readiness by overhauling its transportation system, focusing on four crucial areas: student achievement, modern technology, driver experience, and stakeholder feedback. This transformation addressed long‑standing reliability issues and introduced technology‑driven, safety‑focused solutions that strengthened daily school operations and supported better student outcomes.

Executive Summary & Background

KCPS, which serves more than 15,000 students across a geographically diverse region and a complex service model—including neighborhood schools, magnet schools, overflow schools, and grandfathered ridership guidelines requiring cross-district travel—had faced decades-long challenges with student transportation.

The district struggled with uncovered routes, severe driver shortages, limited data visibility, rising operational costs, and growing frustration from families due to unreliable service and outdated routing systems.

Before modernization:

• The previous contractor operated an aging fleet
• Routing was performed with legacy software that required manual updates
• Communication was limited, with no mobile app for families or administrators
• Driver shortages created daily unpredictability including extremely delayed and frequently cancelled routes

By partnering with a technology-driven transportation provider and implementing a modern, data-enabled approach, KCPS achieved significant improvements in reliability, safety, and communication. Within one year, the district deployed modern technology, addressed major driver shortages, improved on-time performance, and strengthened community trust through greater transparency and consistent service.

The Challenge

KCPS’s transportation system was struggling to meet the needs of students and families. Key issues included:

• 25% driver shortages: 30 driver shortages (of 120 total drivers needed), representing a 25% driver shortage that was compounded by high driver absences.
• No reliable data tracking: No data management system to monitor on time performance.
• Limited visibility and communication: Families and schools had no real time tracking or capability to contact support or give feedback effectively.
• Instructional time lost: Transportation-related disruptions adversely impacted student time in the classroom.
• Failing audit and compliance: Consistently failed to meet state reporting requirements.
• Aging fleet: An aging fleet—prone to breakdowns and lacking air conditioning and modern technology—contributed to chronic absenteeism, family frustration, staff fatigue, and instability in district funding.

The Transformation

One year prior to a bid process, the district began collecting data and engaging all stakeholders for feedback to identify priorities and areas of concern related to transportation. Input was gathered from parents, teachers, building administrators, support staff, special education, students-in-transition, student support staff, central office administrators, bus drivers, transportation staff, athletics, community partners, and board members.

By November, the district launched a comprehensive bid process focused on solving its greatest operational gaps:

• Transitioning to a technology‑enabled fleet with GPS, safety monitoring, and real‑time data
• Implementing dynamic routing software to optimize routes and reduce ride times
• Introducing a family app for real‑time bus tracking and communication
• Deploying a continuous training and onboarding plan to drivers and monitors
• Establishing a data dashboard for district leaders to monitor performance daily
• Solving the long-standing driver shortage

The goal was simple: Identify and implement a technology-led, data-driven solution with measurable outcomes to create a safe, reliable, modern transportation system that bolsters student achievement.

Implementation Approach

By March, the district had identified a transportation partner and co-created an implementation strategy with clear timelines and key milestones. This was organized in three phases:

Phase 1: Planning & Data Audit

• Fully assess staffing levels and fleet needs
• Assess facilities & renovations
• Conduct a full route analysis
• Identify inefficiencies and equity gaps
• Engage families, drivers, and school leaders

Phase 2: Technology Rollout

• Prioritize partnership launch & hiring initiatives
• Integrate technology with SIS system
• Establish cadence of communication with key metrics
• Introduce tech‑enabled buses
• rain staff on new tracking apps & reporting
• Launch the family communication app

Phase 3: Optimization & Continuous Improvement

• Weekly performance reviews with transportation partner
• Weekly staff training on bus app tracking and reporting
• Fully engage leadership team on weekly feedback
• 30-day stakeholder feedback on implementation/progress
• Align district practices to transportation guidelines

Results & Impact: Quantitative Outcomes

 

Stakeholders Feedback

• 97% of stakeholders rated overall service as reliable
• 96% of stakeholders rated overall OTP as consistent
• 91% of stakeholders rated modern technology as positive

Student-Centered Outcomes

The modernization directly improved student experience:

• Transportation absences decreased by 86% (from 2024-2025) driven by modern, reliable transportation
• The graduation rate reached a decade high of 88.6%
• Student attendance increased by 2.5% district-wide
• Student extracurricular competitive access increased 150+%

Transportation became a lever for access, strengthening students’ ability to fully participate in all program activities and significantly improving the overall student experience while meeting and/or exceeding district goals.

Stakeholder Perspectives: Superintendent

“Zum’s proven track record, along with its enhanced communication and equity-focused decision making, has greatly benefited our students, families, and drivers. In Kansas City, we appreciate their commitment to safety, efficiency, transparency, and student-centered, technology-led, and data-driven approach. It has been a game-changer for KCPS and our community.”

Dr. Jennifer Collier
Superintendent
Kansas City Public Schools

Learn more at www.ridezum.com.

The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.

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REDWOOD CITY, Calif., -Zūm, a leader in student mobility, today announced unaudited 2025 financial highlights, reflecting sustained growth at scale as the company expands in the $50 billion student mobility market, the largest segment of the mass mobility industry, and one of the last segments still underserved by AI and cloud technology. While the industry has historically been defined by fragmented, analog transportation services, Zum is pioneering a mobility experience that is replacing traditional approaches to operating yellow buses with a modern, fully integrated mass mobility ecosystem.

2025 Financial Highlights:

Revenue of $333 million, up 35% year-over-year.
Four-year revenue CAGR of greater than 40%.
Over $2 billion in Total Contract Value (TCV).
Adjusted EBITDA1 breakeven and steadily improving contribution margin.

“Every weekday, 26 million American students ride the school bus — three times more passengers than U.S. airlines carry — making it the largest mass transportation system in the country and one of the last to undergo technological transformation,” said Ritu Narayan, Zum Founder and CEO. “For too long, families have faced morning anxiety, wondering if the bus will arrive, if it is safe, and when their kids will get home. We are redefining mobility by moving far beyond legacy models to create a connected, intelligent system for the communities we serve. In student transportation, that means replacing legacy infrastructure with a dynamic, technology-enabled platform — transforming what was once a standalone service into a responsive ecosystem that anticipates and adapts to the needs of districts and families.”

Durable Business Model Driving Scalable Growth
Across the United States, forward-thinking school districts have moved away from the status quo and adopted Zum as their transportation provider. In these districts, Zum has transformed their transportation systems into state-of-the-art operations characterized by enhanced visibility, improved safety standards, real-time data that provides full transparency, and measurable performance outcomes.

Today Zum serves more than 4,000 schools across 15 states, including major districts such as Branford (CT), Kansas City (MO), Los Angeles (CA), Oakland (CA), Omaha (NE), Roanoke City (VA), San Francisco (CA), and Seattle (WA). Zum’s business model is built on structural advantages to drive predictable, profitable growth:

Long-term contracted revenue: 5-10 year agreements with school districts, delivering predictable cash flow, with an established track record of improving profitability.

Exceptional retention: Strong customer loyalty, with growing revenue as existing customers expand their utilization of Zum services.

“Our strong unit economics and long-term contracted revenue demonstrate the scalability of our platform,” said Daniel Berenbaum, Zum’s Chief Financial Officer. “We achieved Adjusted EBITDA breakeven while growing revenue 35% year-over-year, validating our disciplined approach to expansion. Student mobility is one of the last major undigitized sectors, representing a $50 billion segment of the mass mobility industry. While legacy competitors manage physical assets, Zum is deploying a modern, scalable system driven by technology, operational excellence, and safety – using real-time data to connect people, vehicles, and the energy grid, delivering better outcomes for all.”

AI-Powered Technology Driving Reliability and Safety
Zum uses AI and advanced technologies to ensure drivers take the most efficient, logical routes, a significant departure from traditional routing methods that have been used for decades. The system is designed specifically for the unique requirements of student mobility, from complex routing algorithms that account for tiered bell schedules and custom needs, to safety protocols that meet and exceed both bus company and ride-share standards. Zum’s platform also includes mobile apps and web dashboards for students, parents, drivers, dispatchers, and school administrators, enabling enhanced visibility, greater trust, streamlined communication, and incident-tracking capabilities, all powered by real-time data in a single integrated platform.

Modernizing Infrastructure and Powering the Grid
Zum’s electrification strategy represents yet another step in modernization, turning an underutilized asset into an energy resource to power the grid. Zum’s groundbreaking vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology transforms school bus parking yards into virtual power plants, storing and distributing energy to support grid resilience. Zum made history in the 2024–25 school year by deploying the nation’s first fully electric school bus fleet in the Oakland Unified School District in California, and recently announced plans to launch a fully electric fleet with V2G capabilities for Branford Public Schools in Connecticut beginning in the 2026–27 school year.

Delivering Measurable Impact at Scale
Zum’s impact is measurable and significant:

Reliability: On average, 98% on-time performance.

Cost Savings: San Francisco Unified has cut annual transportation costs by up to 10% using Zum’s technology-driven platform to optimize routes, fleet utilization, and daily operations. That budget flexibility can enable districts to reinvest directly in classroom priorities such as instructional resources, staffing, and student support, strengthening both academic outcomes and long-term sustainability.

Transformational Customer Impact: With Zum, school districts use up to 25% fewer assets by utilizing a multi-size vehicle fleet, spend up to 20% less time through optimized routes, and report 30% higher asset utilization throughout each day.

Efficiency: Through intelligent routing, Oakland Unified has cut one‑hour or longer commutes from 70% to under 10%, and San Francisco Unified has reduced average bus stop time from 3 minutes to just 8 seconds.

Student Experience: Parents have rated Zum with a 4.9 out of 5-star rating in student experience across 1.5 million reviews.

Attendance: After partnering with Zum, Kansas City Public Schools saw an 89% increase in ridership driven by improved reliability and reduced transportation-related absences in secondary schools from 25% to 5.6% during the 2024–25 school year.

Growth: Safely completed 68.5 million student rides in 2025, up 120% over 2024.

About Zum:
Zum is revolutionizing mass mobility with a fully integrated platform that connects and coordinates people, vehicles, and operations in real time. In the $50 billion student mobility market – the largest segment of the mass mobility industry – Zum is designed to deliver a predictable, safe, and seamless experience for students and families. Today, more than 4,000 schools across 15 states rely on Zum’s advanced platform, with customers now deploying its groundbreaking vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology to modernize vehicles and strengthen grid resilience. Recognized globally for its innovative approach and operational execution, Zum has been named to Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies, CNBC Disruptor 50 and Changemakers, the World Economic Forum, and the Financial Times Fastest Growing Companies lists. Zum is backed by leading investors including Sequoia Capital, GIC, and SoftBank. Learn more at www.ridezum.com.

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At thousands of schools across the country, Zum’s integrated technology system is transforming the daily student transportation experience through: Real-time bus tracking and proactive notifications that […]

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Today, Zūm, the leader in modern student transportation, announced that it will deploy a fully electric school bus fleet for Branford Public Schools beginning in the 2026–27 school year, making Branford the largest fully electric school district with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities in the Northeast. All electric buses will be supported by modern charging infrastructure, with built-in bidirectional V2G capabilities.

This announcement represents a significant moment for Branford and the evolution of student transportation nationwide. As the largest school district in the Northeast to fully electrify its school bus fleet, Branford is demonstrating that clean, reliable electric student transportation is not a future ambition, but a current possibility for school districts across the country.

The electric fleet is designed with the future capability to strengthen grid resilience by enabling school bus batteries to return energy to the local grid at scale when not in use. This vehicle-to-grid capacity transforms what has traditionally been an underutilized asset into a strategic energy resource — improving reliability, maximizing the value of district infrastructure, and supporting long-term sustainability.

Zum also provides the students and parents of Branford Public Schools with enhanced safety and reliability, reflected in a 98% on-time arrival rate to school. Through its parent app, families can see exactly where their children are during every ride to and from school — creating peace of mind for families each day.

Zum and Branford Public Schools announced the initiative today at Zum’s Branford student transportation yard during an event attended by local and state leaders, including Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz.

Photo caption: Left to right: Sarah Skinner, Zum; Liz Sanchez, Zum; Chairman Peter Berdon;
Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz; Superintendent Tranberg, Branford Public Schools;
Blaize Levitan, COO, Branford Public Schools; Jim Finch, Town of Branford; and
Charlotte Charbono, Zum.

“This marks a major milestone in Zum’s continued national electrification expansion and an exciting moment for student transportation,” said Ritu Narayan, Founder and CEO of Zum. “As we expand our electrification efforts to the East Coast and launch our first fully electric school bus fleet in the region, Branford is helping set a new national standard. With Zum’s technology platform and this state-of-the-art EV fleet, we are reimagining what’s possible — building a modern transportation system rooted in operational excellence and a relentless focus on safety that improves the experience for students, families, and drivers, sets kids up for success in the classroom, strengthens grid reliability and resiliency, and delivers lasting benefits to the entire community.”

“Branford Public Schools, in partnership with Zum, is committed to delivering a first-class transportation system that prioritizes students and families while setting a new standard for safety, reliability, and sustainability,” said Superintendent Christopher Tranberg. “Electric school buses with bidirectional charging capabilities create cleaner transportation today and have the potential to support grid resilience by returning energy from bus batteries back to the grid in the future.”

“Branford is proving that clean, reliable student transportation is possible today,” said Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz. “By deploying the largest fully electric school bus fleet in the Northeast, we are delivering cleaner air for kids, smarter infrastructure for communities, and a model for the nation.”

Photo caption: Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz delivers remarks at Zum’s Branford school bus yard.

In 2024, Branford Public Schools awarded Zum a 10-year student transportation contract with the goal of transitioning the district to a 100% electric school bus fleet within five years. Through its partnership with Zum, Branford Public Schools is now on track to achieve this transition within the first two years of the contract—three years ahead of schedule.

This achievement builds on Zum’s growing national momentum. Today, Zum partners with school districts across 15 states, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Omaha, Boston and Kansas City, delivering a fully integrated, transparent, and reliable transportation platform at scale. In the 2024–25 school year, Zum made history by deploying the nation’s first fully electric school bus fleet in Oakland Unified School District in California.

To learn more about how Zum is working with thousands of schools to deliver safe, reliable and modern student transportation, please visit Zum’s website.

About Zūm

Zum is a technology-led, data-driven transportation company transforming student transportation—the largest mass transit system in the United States. Today, Zum provides turnkey, modern transportation solutions to more than 4,000 schools across 15 states and is expanding rapidly nationwide. Recognized globally for its innovative approach and operational execution, Zum has raised over $350 million from leading investors including Sequoia Capital, GIC, and SoftBank. Zum has been named to Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies, CNBC Disruptor 50 and Changemakers, the World Economic Forum, and the Financial Times Fastest Growing Companies. Learn more at www.ridezum.com.

About Branford Public Schools

Located in Branford, Connecticut, Branford Public Schools provides a high-quality, inclusive public education for students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. The district is committed to academic excellence, student well-being, and equitable learning opportunities that prepare students to think critically, contribute to their communities, and navigate a changing world.

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