ST. LOUIS – The district has hired about 200 of the 243 drivers needed for the upcoming school year, implementing a new plan with Zum that includes updated routing technology and real-time tracking.

The new transportation plan aims to improve safety and efficiency with features such as cameras inside buses and a parent app for real-time tracking. Bus monitors will be added as needed for students with specific routing plans.

“The mobile app is again the way that we will be communicating to families, making sure that, similar to an uber that you would know when your bus will arrive. It gives you notifications from the time that the bus is on the way to the stop and from the time the student is picked up the parent will get notification,” explained Square Watson, Chief Operations Officer.

Zum is replacing First Student as the district’s transportation provider after the district cut ties with Missouri Central due to safety and reliability concerns. This change will result in over 200 First Student employees losing their jobs by the end of June, although some have been promised relocation or rehiring.

For families without access to phones or the internet, schools will assist in communicating with the district to locate buses, ensuring all students can benefit from the new tracking system.

Watson commented, “We’re really excited in making sure that we meet these timelines because again this is different and we want to show that this is different.”

The board has announced that students and families can expect more information within the next week.

All facts from this article were gathered by KTVI journalists. This article was converted into this format with assistance from artificial intelligence.  It has been edited and approved by KTVI staff.