Zum (company)


Zum, also written as Zūm, is an American student transportation services company based in Redwood City, California, U.S.
Zum Services, Inc. provides contract transportation services to school districts across the United States. It provides an app that parents can download to track the location of their children on Zum’s vehicles.

History

Zum was founded by Ritu Narayan, Vivek Garg and Abhishek Garg after they identified a problem faced by working mothers. It has developed a technology platform that can optimize school bus routes and improve communications for school bus fleets.
Zum initially started its operations in California in early 2016. In February 2019, BMW i Ventures invested as part of a $40 million investment round in the company to expand its operations outside California. Previously, it received $19 million in a Series B round in 2018 and $5.5 million in a Series A round in 2017.
In 2019, Zum entered into a $150 million contract with the San Francisco Unified Schools District to operate the transportation system in the district.
In February 2020, Zum began a partnership with Oakland Unified School District to provide transportation services to its students. In August 2024, OUSD introduced the first all-electric school bus fleet in the United States.
In October 2021, Zum, nearing unicorn status, received $130 million in funding led by Softbank Vision Fund 2, with participation from existing investors including Sequoia and BMW i Ventures. The funds were used to expand the company's footprint to new areas and expand its fleet, including adding new electric vehicles.
In June 2022, Zum received a contract from the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school district in the U.S., valued at $400 million.
In July 2022, the Seattle School Board gave it a three-year contract to provide school transportation services to its students.
In June 2023, Zum announced a contract with the Howard County Public School System in Maryland. During the first week of school, historic bus driver shortages led to many routes being canceled.
In January 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported that Zum had raised $140 million in a Series E funding round, valuing the company at $1.3 billion. The Singapore sovereign wealth fund, GIC, led the round.