Zum lands in Philadelphia, opens bus yard to serve city's school district

Zum , a student mobility company, is launching home-to-school transportation for the School District of Philadelphia and has leased two adjacent Northeast Philadelphia properties to serve as its local base. The sites, at 3740 E. Thompson Street and 2715 E. Butler Street, will be redeveloped into a modern operations and maintenance center.

Zum is preparing to serve Philadelphia students starting with the 2026-27 school year. The company is actively hiring school bus drivers and attendants and has already held several hiring events.

Zum plans to upgrade the facility over the coming months with modern employee facilities, enhanced maintenance capabilities, and driver amenities. It describes the site as a home base built to support a growing local workforce and future growth.

"Philadelphia is more than a new market for Zum—it is a long-term partnership and a community where we plan to invest for decades to come," said Vivek Garg, chief operating officer at Zum. The centrally located yard is designed to cut travel time for drivers.

Zum is framing student transportation as critical infrastructure, betting that modern facilities and an employee-based hiring model can win over drivers and school districts alike. Its Philadelphia move signals a push to establish long-term, city-by-city footholds rather than short-term contracts.