Driving America Forward with Jenna Van Harpen
“I see innovation in service as a bigger priority–in this case, safely and efficiently getting students to and from school–and Zum is certainly delivering on that. But Zum is also doing it in a way that creates more value for everyone involved, which is exceptional”
Jenna Van Harpen
Vice President / National Fleet Sales
Blue Bird Corporations
A long-time transportation expert, Jenna Van Harpen began her career as an Operations Manager at FedEx before eventually finding her way to student transportation. Today, she is the Vice President of National Fleet Sales at Blue Bird Corporation, a widely recognized leader in school bus manufacturing.
How is Blue Bird driving innovation forward?
At Blue Bird, we tend to think about innovation in terms of our number one priority: student safety. Period.
Our main focus is on innovation that will make our school buses safer for students, drivers, and everyone riding on them. As an example, last year, we made a big announcement on this front.
First, to protect student riders, we’re switching to a default of three-point seatbelts for all of our buses. Yes, clients can opt out of those, with lap belts or no belts, but we felt it was important that our standard setting be the highest level of safety. School children are our most precious cargo, and we take that seriously at Blue Bird.
That’s just one innovation, but it speaks to our priorities, and safety is number one.
From your perspective, how is Zum driving America innovation forward?
The school bus hasn’t changed in a very long time.
I mentioned this before, but at Blue Bird, we’re trying to make incremental changes to the bus, particularly around safety. It’s important not to simply change for the sake of change, but do it for a reason.
Innovation, though, can drive costs up. At Blue Bird, we focus on maximizing safety while optimizing cost. Zum and Blue Bird share the same mission.
Blue Bird welcomed a new CEO in February 2025, and when he asked me to describe Zum, I said: “It’s like Uber on steroids.” Only, that doesn’t even do it justice, because Zum has genuinely upended the conventional wisdom about student transportation. They’ve made it safer, way more efficient, and they’ve also done that while driving costs to schools down. A lot of these school districts need fewer buses to get their kids to and from school, and that money can go back into the classroom, to help those same students.
I see innovation in service of a bigger priority—in this case, safely and efficiently getting students to and from school—and Zum is certainly delivering on that. But Zum is also doing it in a way that creates more value for everyone involved, which is exceptional.
When you think of the future, what role do children/the next generation play, and how can we set them up for success?
When I was eighteen, on my last day of high school, I remember thinking to myself, “I’ll never have to ride a school bus again.”
Well, that turned out not to be true. School buses have become a big part of my life, and I’ve been so happy to see how much the industry has changed for the better in the past few decades. Buses are safer. We’re making ultra-low or zero-emission school buses that run on propane or electricity. Routes are more efficient; students are getting to school more quickly, with more time and energy for learning.
One of the biggest factors in that change is picking partners who share the same goals. It sounds obvious, but if you’re driving in the same direction, you’ll go farther. One of the things that makes Blue Bird’s partnership with Zum so fruitful is that we’re aligned on our priority—safe and efficient student transportation.
I think choosing the right partner is a big part of innovation—and I’m proud to be modeling that for our students. Each time they get on a new, clean-powered bus, they’re feeling the effects of that firsthand—so that down the road, when it comes time for them to enter the workforce or start their own company, they’ll know that choosing a partner that’s aligned to your mission is one of the most important things you can do.
When I was in school, you could hear the bus two miles away. Today, buses are much quieter and the kids are calmer, they don’t have headaches, they’re feeling the positive effects of the shift to clean student transportation. That’s powerful!