Zum Awarded Over $26 Million from the EPA to Purchase Clean School Buses

Funding Will Accelerate Company’s Transition to 100% Electric, Ushering In a Greener Era for School Transportation

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that Zūm will receive over $26 million through the EPA’s first Clean School Bus Program Grants Competition.

The funding will help Zum, the leader in modern student transportation, as it transitions its fleet of school buses to 100% electric school buses. Made possible through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the grant will also accelerate the expansion of Zum’s industry-leading AI-driven technology platform, a key tool in Zum’s effort to fully decarbonize the school bus industry and bolster the fight against climate change.

“We commend the Administration’s tireless work to advance the acceleration of student transportation into a green era,” said Zum Founder and CEO Ritu Narayan. “At Zum, our goal is to ensure that all students have access to safe, reliable and sustainable transportation, and this grant award will propel our electrification efforts in many of the districts that we serve. We are grateful and honored to be a part of this initiative.”

“Today we’re once again accelerating the transition to electric and low-emission school buses in America, helping to secure a healthier future where all our children can breathe cleaner air,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “I’ve sat next to students on their very first clean school bus ride and their excitement reflects the power of good policy. Thanks to President Biden’s historic investments in America, thousands more school buses will hit the road in school districts across the country, saving school districts money and improving air quality at the same time.”

“This is an exciting milestone in our journey to transition Oakland’s entire school bus fleet to 100% electric,” stated Kim Raney, Transportation Director, Oakland Unified School District.  “We appreciate the work being done by local, state and federal policy makers to support the work being done at the local level and commend our partners at Zum for driving this initiative forward to ensure a healthier, more sustainable experience for the parents and students that we serve.”

Founded and led by a first-generation immigrant and mother, Ritu Narayan, Zum is reimagining the yellow school bus system. Thousands of schools across the country have partnered with Zum for school transportation, including Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest district in the country; San Francisco Unified School District; Seattle Public Schools; Howard County Public Schools; Oakland Unified School District; and Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Zum has transformed the outdated student transportation industry, previously riddled with inefficiencies and a lack of transparency, through its innovative approach to digitization and electrification. Zum has unified parents, students, school administrators, and drivers on a single personalized end-to-end technology platform, enabling never-before achieved levels of visibility and data-backed accountability, which has ushered in a new era of increased safety, reliability, and sustainability for the school districts.

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

About Zum
Zum is an American company modernizing student transportation by partnering with school districts to provide safe, sustainable, efficient and equitable service. Zum’s technology optimizes school bus routes, reduces student commute times, and tracks children’s arrival and departure from school while connecting parents, drivers, schools and administrators in real time. Zum is the first and only 100% carbon neutral student transportation company, helping schools optimize their school bus fleets by providing electric school bus solutions that reduce diesel emissions and save costs. Zum has been recognized by the Financial Times as one of the Fastest Growing Companies of 2023, named on CNBC’s Disruptor 50 list, and selected by Fast Company as a World Changing Idea. Learn more at www.ridezum.com.

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SOURCE Zūm