Parents report 3-hour bus delays under new $483M Philadelphia contract

School buses for students with special needs in Philadelphia are arriving as late as three hours after the scheduled pickup time, according to parents who filed complaints with the district.

Zum, a transportation firm based in Silicon Valley, began operating for the School District of Philadelphia this academic year. The company secured a five-year agreement worth $483 million. Zum provides a mobile application that allows guardians to monitor bus locations in real time. The firm claims to serve 7,500 schools across the country and reports an average on-time performance rate of 98 percent.

Tymeera Hicks, a parent in West Oak Lane, stated that her eight-year-old son, Asir, missed the first day of school on Sept. 3 because the bus arrived at 10:40 a.m. Classes began at 8:30 a.m. Hicks said the bus did not pick up her son until after the school day ended at noon. She described the brief visit as a routine where staff took the child to the bathroom and served lunch before returning him to the vehicle. Hicks said the vehicle has not arrived on time since the first day. She provided time-stamped videos showing pickups around 8:30 a.m. on later dates, though she noted the school day had already started.

Yook Tiong, a resident of West Philadelphia, reported similar issues for her 19-year-old son, Jose, who attends Green Tree School on a different route. Tiong said her son arrived home after 5:30 p.m. on one occasion. The bus-tracking application failed to provide updates during that delay. A driver later explained that a fight occurred on the bus, requiring police assistance while the vehicle was stopped.

The district released a written statement saying it values parent concerns and is collaborating with Zum to adjust operations. Officials reviewed on-time performance metrics for Green Tree School but did not release the specific data. A district spokesperson indicated that monitoring will continue and improvements will be made as necessary.

Zum responded in a written statement, attributing initial problems to driver familiarity with new routes. The company said these specific issues were resolved within the first week of the school year. Zum stated that remaining challenges relate to routing and that it is working with district leadership to implement improvements.

The Board of Education authorized the contract but declined to provide details on the due diligence process used to select the contractor. Zum's website notes that performance tends to improve as the company adjusts operations with each district.

Hicks said she has reported transportation problems daily since Sept. 3. Tiong said the app has improved since parents raised questions about the service. Reports of delayed routes and tracking errors have also emerged in Rhode Island, Kansas, and Illinois.