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bus drivers across the country,” said Ritu Narayan, CEO and Founder of Zūm. “We’re proud to deliver a single, integrated platform that improves safety, transparency, communication and efficiency for all stakeholders. It’s a turnkey solution that makes everyone’s day to day jobs easier, safer, and more enjoyable.” In partnership with SLCSD, Zūm combines GPS, bus tracking, and route optimization in a single offering. Opting for a staggered rollout, Martinez and his team will deploy student tracking RFID cards and field trip management later in the year.
“Getting Zūm integrated into our system was seamless,” Martinez said. “The team is very attentive and is always quick on the take. It’s still early in the year, but based on the data we have, we expect bus route time and student on-time figures to improve as the school year goes on.”
2: Best in Class Features
In searching for a new transportation technology partner, Martinez also needed to upgrade his existing system. “This past year, we had to close several schools,” he noted. “That required us to redraw boundaries. The routes we had were cobbled together, and had been that way for twenty years. We were basically starting from scratch. Without the right technology, re-doing every- thing would have been a nightmare.” With Zūm’s technology, however, Martinez and his team
were not only able to design new routes, but also optimize them, making them as efficient as possible and ensuring all routes were State compliant. Best of all? It took SLCSD a fraction of the time. “Before, getting the data to redraw routes and boundaries would have taken hours, days,” Martinez said. “With Zūm, it takes less than a minute.” Additionally, Zūm’s parent app makes it possible for families to track the progress of their children as they ride the bus—a feature parents are already starting to appreciate. “That kind of visibility didn’t exist before,” Martinez noted. “Now, it’s here.” With new, compliant, optimized routes in hand, and
increased visibility for parents and school administrators alike, Martinez and SLCSD are ready to tackle the school year, confident that they’re offering the safest, most efficient student transportation to the students and families of Salt Lake City.
3: Electric Vehicle Telemetry & Infrastructure Finally, Martinez wanted a technology partner that
understood the future of student transportation and could help plan and manage all aspects of operations as they transition to electric school buses. This school year, Martinez and his team are deploying
twelve brand-new EV buses. Only one of two districts in the city doing so, SLCSD wanted a technology partner
that understood operations and knew how to deal with the new, modern technology. “Traditional buses aren’t “smart,” and don’t require data collection,” Martinez noted. “EVs, though—you have to gather all kinds of information, including state of charge (Soc), state of battery health (SoH), current, voltage, temperature, charging status, and more. That’s where Zūm really shines. “Having recently launched the nation’s first 100%
electric school bus fleet, in Oakland, California, Zūm is intimately familiar with modern, electrified transpor- tation, including the necessary telemetry and charging infrastructure,” said Narayan. “We’re thrilled to offer that capability in SLCSD.”
Ken Martinez | Transportation Manager | Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD)
Zūm’s deep knowledge of how to integrate EVs into
student transportation gave Martinez the final boost of confidence he needed to completely revamp their District’s transportation technology system.
Today, Martinez and his team at SLCSD are still in the
thick of back to school. Parents, educators, and adminis- trators all know what a fun and frenetic time that can be. Martinez, though, is excited about the future. “Once things calm down, I want to take a step back
and figure out what more I can do for our district,” Martinez said. “What more I can do with Zūm. The drivers and staff are all really excited. So am I. The future looks bright for SLCSD transportation.”
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