Santa Barbara Unified School District Gains Tech-Enabled Transportation Safety Features with New School Bus Contract

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 03/07/24

Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD) has awarded a five-year, $30 million contract for school bus service to the Zūm school transportation company. The company is known for its 100% carbon neutral student transportation and its electric school bus conversion.

According to a company release, a main feature of Zūm's "advanced safety features and family focused service" is an app through which administrators, staff, parents, or caregivers can:

  • View the complete profile of the child's bus driver;
  • Track in real-time the bus's location and child's pickup or dropoff status;
  • Receive automated alerts of any changes;
  • Optimize routes (administrators); and
  • View real-time data and driver performance reports for making decisions.

The company provides vehicles of varying sizes to accommodate smaller or larger groups. It also said it has made a commitment to SBUSD, county and state officials, and other key stakeholders to develop a plan to transition the entire bus fleet to electric vehicles in the next five years. Its Net Zero Initiative leads this effort.

Zūm said it furnishes its drivers and staff with "advanced training and certification programs to ensure they not only meet and exceed all state and federal requirements but are also well-equipped and extensively trained in customer service and transporting students with diverse needs and disabilities."

For more information about the company, visit Zūm's home page.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • a cloud, an AI chip, and a padlock interconnected by circuit-like lines

    CrowdStrike Report: Attackers Increasingly Targeting Cloud, AI Systems

    According to the 2025 Threat Hunting Report from CrowdStrike, adversaries are not just using AI to supercharge attacks — they are actively targeting the AI systems organizations deploy in production. Combined with a surge in cloud exploitation, this shift marks a significant change in the threat landscape for enterprises.

  • mathematical formulas

    McGraw Hill Launches AI-Powered ALEKS for Calculus

    McGraw Hill has added ALEKS for Calculus to its lineup of ALEKS digital learning products, bringing AI-powered personalized learning support to the calculus classroom.

  • teenager’s study desk with a laptop displaying an AI symbol, surrounded by books, headphones, a notebook, and a cup of colorful pencils

    Student AI Use on the Rise, Survey Finds

    Ninety-three percent of students across the United States have used AI at least once or twice for school-related purposes, according to the latest AI in Education report from Microsoft.

  • open laptop with various educational materials like charts, quizzes, and documents emerging from the screen

    Pear Deck Learning Debuts New AI Features

    GoGuardian recently introduced new artificial intelligence features within its Pear Deck Learning curriculum and instruction platform, designed to aid educators throughout their teaching journey — from lesson planning to assessment.