Zum has begun putting electric school buses into service for San Francisco Unified School District, with additional buses to be phased in through fall 2026 as the manufacturer delivers them. Zum, a student transportation contractor operating in 19 states, says charging and supporting infrastructure is already fully installed and ready to absorb the fleet as vehicles arrive. The company describes the deployment as a milestone in SFUSD’s transition to an all-electric student mobility fleet.
Highlights
- First electric buses are now in daily service for SFUSD, with more scheduled to enter operation throughout fall 2026
- Charging and supporting infrastructure is complete ahead of remaining bus deliveries, according to Zum
- Zum reports it began testing electric school buses in 2022, including evaluation on San Francisco’s hills and in its weather conditions
- The buses will run on Zum CMX, the company’s operating system linking routing, dispatch, drivers, schools, and families
Testing Since 2022 Shaped Vehicle Selection
Zum says the rollout follows several years of testing, operating, and refining electric school bus technology. The company reports it started testing electric buses in 2022 and has since built up real-world operating experience, including evaluations in San Francisco designed to assess how vehicles handle the city’s hills, terrain, and weather.
Rather than moving straight from a pilot to a large-scale deployment, Zum says it evaluated multiple electric school bus configurations under real-world conditions before selecting vehicles for SFUSD. Every bus operating for the district must meet applicable federal requirements and state certification requirements for student transport.
“Getting students to and from school safely and on time is, without question, the most important thing we do,” said Ritu Narayan, Founder and CEO of Zum. “For many districts like SFUSD, an additional benefit of working with Zum is our ability to also enable a clean electric fleet. We have spent years testing and improving our approach to electrification because this transition has to be done the right way. We have gone the extra mile to ensure San Francisco has the best vehicles, technology and infrastructure for its unique needs. Seeing these electric buses bring SFUSD students to and from school is an incredibly exciting milestone for our drivers, families, the District and the entire San Francisco community.”
“San Francisco presents one of the most unique operating environments in the country, and this milestone is the result of an enormous amount of work and collaboration,” said Tomas Beccar-Varela, Transportation Director at San Francisco Unified School District. “Seeing these electric buses now carrying our students is an incredibly exciting moment for SFUSD. We are not simply introducing new vehicles—we are building a cleaner, more modern student mobility system that will benefit our students, families and the broader San Francisco community for years to come.”
How Were Drivers Prepared for the Electric Buses?
Zum says it worked with SFUSD drivers throughout the transition, incorporating their feedback and providing training and hands-on time with the electric buses before deployment.
“For our drivers, this is about much more than a new bus,” said Paul Ahn, General Manager of Zum San Francisco. “These are the professionals entrusted with safely carrying San Francisco’s students every day, so their experience and feedback have been essential throughout this process. We’ve invested heavily in preparing our drivers for this transition, and there is tremendous excitement about what these buses mean for them, for the students they serve and for the community.”
Angela Watson, Vice President of SMART Local 1741 and a San Francisco school bus driver for 26 years, said drivers are looking forward to the change. “I’ve been driving school buses in San Francisco for 26 years, and it’s thrilling to see our fleet take this next step,” Watson said. “Drivers are looking forward to these electric buses. They’re quieter, cleaner and better for our drivers, our students and the communities we drive through every day.”
“The electric buses are really a pleasure to drive,” said Marjorie Urbana, an SFUSD school bus driver with Zum. “They’re quiet, smooth and comfortable behind the wheel, and the students are excited about them too. It feels great to be part of a new effort to improve school days for students across San Francisco.”
Charging Infrastructure and Zum CMX Integration
With site and charging infrastructure already installed, Zum says it can place additional electric buses into service as soon as the manufacturer delivers them. The company reports the site and charging equipment were designed and installed to meet applicable safety and electrical requirements.
The buses will be integrated with Zum CMX, the company’s AI-powered operating system for student mobility, which connects routing, dispatch, drivers, schools, families, safety, and operations in real time. Zum frames the SFUSD project as a modernization of technology, operations, vehicles, and energy infrastructure rather than a one-for-one swap of diesel buses for electric ones — an approach it has applied to earlier all-electric school bus fleets elsewhere.
“This is what the future of student mobility looks like,” Narayan said. “It is safer, smarter, cleaner and more connected—and it starts by never losing sight of the responsibility at the center of everything we do: safely getting students to school and home again every day on time and ready to learn.”
