OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Highlighting technology, drivers and the sustainability of the buses, Zum CEO Ritu Narayan says from student to parent and each school, everyone is informed.
"When the student gets on boarded on the bus, essentially they can swipe the card, a driver can check them in and parents will immediately be notified that their child has on boarded the bus, the school district would know that the child is on the bus,” Narayan said.
And the same thing happens when the student gets off the bus.
We've reported on concerns about routes being missed and students not getting to school on time, Narayan says Zum technology is designed to limit that.
"If for some reason the driver is not able to able to attend, it automatically re-routes the routes to the other buses, which can take comfortably those routes," Narayan said.
The buses have a tablet that shows the route.
"Let's say a parent, someday a kid is not coming, a parent can cancel the ride and automatically the route is routed in a way that the driver doesn't have to show up on that specific stop," Narayan said.
The real-time planning system may save time but there's plenty of positions to fill.
She says they plan to hire 230 drivers in Omaha to cover 185 routes.
"We always have some excess drivers to allow for in case of emergency or something, we always make sure the routes are covered," Narayan said.
Zum will host its first hiring fair in Omaha at the element hotel Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The event is open to certified drivers, or anyone interested in learning to be a bus driver.
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