$77M bus contract for RCPS set to keep students rolling

Odyssey Fields
·2 min read

ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — The Roanoke City Public Schools (RCPS) are getting ready to start a new five-year multi-million dollar contract for its school buses.

The school district announced that it was awarded a $77 million transportation contract with Zum. RCPS joins the list of other school districts in San Franciso, Seatle, Oakland, Los Angeles, and more to use Zum for student transportation.

Officials say this decision signals the school division’s commitment to safe, reliable, sustainable, and modern rides to and from school for students, drivers, and families.

“Student success starts with a safe and reliable ride to school each day,” said Dr. Verletta White, Superintendent of Roanoke City Public Schools (RCPS). “Like RCPS, Zum keeps students at the center of everything they do. We appreciate their state-of-the-art communication tools to help keep families informed and their commitment to safety and sustainability. We look forward to working with them in the 2024-25 school year.”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Roanoke City Schools moves forward with new bus contract

Zum says its services are designed to improve safety, transparency, and communication between students, schools, families, and drivers. The company has an app where parents can receive real-time data and notifications about their school bus location and their child’s pickup or drop-off status. Parents can also see the profile of the driver.

Its technology also gives school administration real-time data and performance reports, reduces student ride time, improves on-time performance, and more.

“We are excited that Roanoke City Public Schools is partnering with Zum for modern student transportation, and we look forward to working with families, drivers, and school officials to serve the needs of this vital school community,” said Ritu Narayan, Founder and CEO at Zum.

Zum also says bus drivers are the base of its services. The company offers competitive wages and benefits for all drivers and staff. In their search for drivers, Zum is hosting a hiring event on Wednesday, March 6, at the Springhill Suites by Marriott on Reserve Avenue, in Roanoke, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

To learn more about the company, visit their website.

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