Metro Nashville (Tennessee) Public Schools has awarded a 5-year contract to alternative student transportation provider Zum to handle more than 80,000 students attending 159 schools.

The district's partnership with Zum is expected to help MNPS support special needs, homeless, foster, and other students where traditional school bus transportation may prove challenging.

"Zum is at the forefront of a massive transformation in student transportation, helping thousands of schools move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to a modern experience that provides parents, students, drivers and districts with safer, greener, more reliable, transportation services," said Ritu Narayan, founder and CEO at Zum. "With this decision, Metro Nashville Public School District demonstrates its commitment to a future where student transportation advances equity, accessibility and environmental stewardship for the community."

"Metro Schools is committed to ensuring the continuity of learning for students experiencing special and unique circumstances that create transportation challenges," Sean Braisted, the school district's executive officer of communications. "Having partners like Zum who can be on-call to service their unique transportation needs will help us to meet our district's goal of ensuring every student is known and cared for."