PASADENA, Calif. – Zum, a student transportation services provider based in Redwood City, California, was recognized on Monday by the White House Chief Economist for the Invest in America Cabinet, Heather Boushey, for the company’s successes in improving student transportation and championing the transition to zero-emission school buses.

Zum has developed a connected platform and app that optimizes bus routing, reduces student time on buses, keeps parents informed of their children’s location, and overall increases student safety. Zum electric school bus fleets reduce student exposure to toxic emissions, improving their health and that of the communities through which they drive as well as working to mitigate climate change concerns.

The company has partnered with school districts across the country, including those in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Nashville, Chicago, and Baltimore, among others. Zum has committed to increasing the number of electric school buses serving their school district partners, with a goal of transitioning both the San Francisco and Oakland school districts to fully electric by the end of the 2026-2027 school year.

Reflecting the company’s achievements in promoting student safety and supporting sustainable business practices, Zum was one of several applicants chosen to receive a share of an $88 million grant provided by the Environmental Protection Agency. These grants will help awardees purchase clean school buses for California school districts, and were made possible through the Biden Administration’s Investing in America program.

“Zum is a champion in working to reduce the exposure of one of our most vulnerable populations to toxic emissions—our children,” said Tor Larson, Vice President Trucks and Off-Road, CALSTART. “Their commitment to efficiency, transparency, safety, and sustainable, healthy practices is a model for the transportation industry as a whole.”