EPA Awards $32M to Zum to Accelerate School Bus Electrification

Student transportation provider Zūm has been awarded $32 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean School Bus Program.

The funding, which brings Zum’s total awards from the EPA to $58 million, will enable Zum to deploy 117 electric school buses to its district partners across the U.S., including Branford Public Schools in Connecticut, Reading Public Schools in Pennsylvania, Alameda Unified School District in California, Centinela Valley Union High School District in California, Santa Barbara Unified School District in California, and Spokane Public Schools in Washington.

Additionally, Zum was waitlisted for $22.5 million to provide electric school buses for San Bernardino Unified School District, San Francisco Unified School District, and Oakland Unified School District.

Made possible through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the grants will accelerate Zum’s transition to 100% electric school buses and expand its AI-driven technology platform. This platform is a key tool in Zum's effort to fully decarbonize the school bus industry and bolster the fight against climate change.

“We are entering a new era of student transportation, and we applaud the EPA’s commitment to improving the health of children and communities with cleaner, greener rides to and from school,” said Zum Founder and CEO Ritu Narayan. “I founded Zum with a mission to ensure all children have access to safe, reliable, and sustainable transportation. This award propels our electrification efforts across the U.S., and we are honored to be part of this initiative."

In January 2024, the EPA awarded Zum more than $26 million to deploy electric school buses in school districts nationwide. In May, Zum announced that Oakland Unified School District will be the first major school district in the U.S. to transition to a 100% electrified school bus system with groundbreaking vehicle-to-grid technology.

Zum manages and operates student transportation for school districts in 14 states, including California, Washington, Massachusetts, Maryland, Texas, Illinois, Tennessee, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Connecticut, and Missouri.