Women’s History Month at Zum

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating women in student transportation

As Women’s History Month comes to a close, we’re giving a shout-out to the thousands of women nationwide who support Zūm’s mission to change the status quo in student transportation. From drivers and staff to parents and local leaders, we are fortunate to work alongside so many women who want to move the industry forward.

Zum Founder and CEO Ritu Narayan started the company to solve the decades-long problem of ensuring safe, reliable student transportation for all children – including her own. Today, more than 4,000 schools rely on Zum for student transportation. We won’t stop until every child has access to a safe, reliable ride to and from school, and we are grateful for the contributions of so many women across the country! 

In Honor of Women’s History Month, We Thank…

School district leaders and educators

Zum’s school district partners share our enthusiasm for modern student transportation – and understand that an improved experience on the school bus sets up a child for greater success in the classroom. Many of these district partners have strong female leadership at the helm: Dr. Jennifer Collier, Superintendent of Kansas City Public Schools; Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell, Superintendent of Oakland Unified School District; Mary Skipper, Superintendent of Boston Public Schools; Dr. Verletta White, Superintendent of Roanoke City Public Schools; Dr. Adrienne Battle, Superintendent of Metro Nashville Public Schools; Dr. Millicent Borishade, Superintendent of Saint Louis Public Schools; Dr. Jennifer Murray, Superintendent of Reading School District; and Dr. Maria Su, Superintendent of San Francisco Unified School District. 

“It is essential that our students can reliably commute to and from school,” says Dr. Collier. (KCPS partnered with Zum in 2024.) “Moreover, we are dedicated to ensuring that transportation services are accessible to all students, regardless of their individual circumstances, to ensure equitable access to education.”

Adds Dr. Johnson-Trammell: “I want to see us change the way we serve students through the school bus system by taking advantage of technology that would provide transparency to families through apps and bus tracking, and add more EV buses for sustainability and the environment. I also want to see us use technology to enhance efficiency of routes and the types of vehicles used, which would lead to shorter ride times for students and a more efficient use of limited resources.” (In partnership with Zum, last year Oakland made history as the first district in the U.S. to have an all-electric fleet of school buses.)

While working alongside these exceptional superintendents is truly rewarding, we are also fortunate to collaborate with many remarkable women within the districts whose dedication to serving our children makes our work both meaningful and enjoyable. Several of these inspiring leaders include: Lisa Grant-Dawson, Chief Business Officer, Oakland Unified School District; Kim Raney, Executive Director of Transportation, Oakland Unified School District; Beverly Redmond, Chief of Staff, Seattle Public Schools; Laura Dudnick, Executive Director of Communications and External Affairs, San Francisco Unified School District; Jacqueline Hayes, Deputy Director of Transportation, Boston Public Schools; Marie Espinoza, Director of Transportation, San Bernardino City Unified; Cindy Coleman, Chief Finance and Business Services Officer, Spokane Public Schools; Claire Mitzel, Director of Communications and Public Relations, Roanoke City Public Schools; and Bridget Blevins, External Relations Administrator and Media Relations Lead, Omaha Public Schools.

Bus drivers

Student transportation would not exist without the extraordinary efforts of school bus drivers, many of whom are women. Drivers are at the heart of what we do at Zum, and we strive to do everything we can to make their job easier and more comfortable, from providing brand new, air-conditioned buses to equipping them with state-of-the-art technology that optimizes their routes and enables better, more transparent communication.

We’re grateful for drivers like Sky Johnson, a Zum driver in Oakland Unified School District who drives high school students with special needs and is a treasured member of her community. When she isn’t transporting students, Johnson trains other drivers on bus safety and operations.   

Drivers are often the first smiling face students see in the morning and beloved by the families they serve. “As a bus driver, you set the tone for them going to school and going home,” Johnson says. “For me, it’s great to be influential in that way.” 

Local and national leaders

Government officials have a powerful voice in modernizing student transportation. When Zum partnered with Boston Public Schools last year to provide a technology platform to power their student transportation, Boston Superintendent Mary Skipper and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu appeared at a launch event to voice their support.

“This [Zum] app allows students and families to see their bus assignments, track the bus location in real time and receive alerts about delays and updated ETAs,” Mayor Wu told the crowd. “This will be a big step forward in how we can ensure that families have that peace of mind, real-time information and the ability to communicate.”

Zum staff

From managers to operations staff to drivers across the country, we appreciate all of the women at Zum who work hard to improve the school bus experience – something that has not meaningfully changed in more than 80 years.  

“Our turnkey solution has made a measurable positive impact in some of the country’s largest school districts,” says Sarah Skinner, VP of Partnerships at Zum. Adds Chanel Kim, Finance Manager at Zum: “It’s inspiring to see where we’ll go from here.”

To be part of this sea change in the industry is tremendously gratifying.

Parents and families

The most meaningful comments about Zum that we receive are the ones from parents whose lives have been positively impacted by Zum, whether it is by shortening their child’s commute or giving them peace of mind by knowing their children got on the bus and arrived at school safely.  

Jenny Moore, a mother of two in San Francisco, relies on Zum to transport her fifth-grade son with special needs to school. Her family has developed a special relationship with his bus driver, Hilda, who even gave Moore her cell phone number in case she needs to reach her.

“I really cannot say enough good things about the drivers,” Moore says. “Hilda is on time every single day and is so warm and welcoming. For all of these kids, routine and consistency is so important and truly sets them up for success for their school day.”

Moore says she uses the Zum app not only to see that her son arrived at school safely but to help with his morning routine. “I can show him, “Look, this is where Hilda is,” she says. “It has been a wonderful experience.”

In honor of Women’s History Month, we thank all of the women who are helping to modernize student transportation and create a brighter future!