‘Peace of mind’: As Boston students return to school, new tool allows parents to track buses

BOSTON — Boston Public School leaders are touting a new tracking system as buses roll back to school this week. The city announced a three-year deal with the Zum app, and Boston 25 News wanted to get a closer look at how the system will work.

“We hear from parents all the time over the last few years about what it’s like when they’re not sure where the bus was, or how late it came, or what to do if they can’t coordinate pickup times,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said. It’s a common concern for parents of school-aged children. Will their student make it onto the correct school bus, reach the right destinations, and do it all on time?

Now, Boston Public Schools is aiming to tackle that problem with tech by using a solution that’s often close at hand. “If you are a parent on your phone, you will be able to see your student get on the bus and know that that’s happened. You’ll be able to watch the bus in live GPS format,” said Superintendent of Boston Public Schools Mary Skipper.

It’s an app called Zum. It was developed by a mother of two and launched in 2015. Parents of Boston Public School students will download the app, and use unique login information to access the system. They’ll be able to see their child’s exact location during their ride, which is tracked through each child’s RFID card.

“The Zum app gives parents peace of mind,” says Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for Zum, Sarah Skinner. “They can view their child’s upcoming rides, track their child’s rides in real-time, receive notifications when the vehicle is en route, approaching, and when their child has safely been picked up or dropped off.”

School and district administrators will also have this access. They’ll be able to use Zum to track bus locations on a live map with ETAs that account for traffic delays. In the driver’s seat, the Zum platform allows bus operators to preview the students on their routes while receiving turn-by-turn directions. And if a child suddenly won’t be taking the bus, parents can cancel their ride on the same morning.

Boston Public Schools tested the Zum app over the summer with about 300 students. As a result, administrators decided to expand the app from five to ten languages. Zum is currently serving 4,000 schools in 14 states, in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle.

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