![\"Philly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8ug93dagvd86pp7e.jpg\")
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PHILADELPHIA – Thousands of Philadelphia students will be heading to school in a new fleet of high-tech buses featuring air conditioning, advanced safety technology, and a smartphone app for parents, according to Chris O\u2019Connell of FOX 29 News.<\/p>\n
New technology upgrades for student transportation <\/p>\n
What we know:<\/p>\n
The School District of Philadelphia has contracted Z\u016bm, a California-based company, to operate 200 new air-conditioned school buses serving more than 330 schools. The buses include an AI-enabled safety platform that provides drivers with mapping and routing information and matches each student with every stop. Parents can use a smartphone app to track their child\u2019s location from the time they board the bus.<\/p>\n
Jordan Gordon, Z\u016bm\u2019s vice president of strategic operations, said, “We\u2019ve come in and we fully modernized the entire experience from drivers, from technology even the bus. Even the bus we are on right now fully air conditioned.” Gordon added, “Our drivers are not using the old school paper route sheets they are using fully enabled technology to provide route guidance so they can focus safely driving on the road in a comfortable environment while delivering students to and from school every day.”<\/p>\n
The new buses are designed to carry 60 students each and aim to improve both safety and comfort for riders.<\/p>\n
Hiring underway for new drivers <\/p>\n
Why you should care:<\/p>\n
With the launch of these buses, Z\u016bm is also hiring a couple hundred new drivers for the upcoming school year. The company recently opened its operations center in Port Richmond and is actively interviewing candidates with commercial driver\u2019s licenses.<\/p>\n
Aaliyah Horn, a Z\u016bm driver who previously worked in the Reading School District and was just hired in Philadelphia, said, “I love it personally because parents can track our every move.” Horn continued, “They know wherever we are going when we are stopping they\u2019ll know if we are running late. It\u2019s just a good experience for us and them.”<\/p>\n
The company operates buses for school districts in 18 states, and the parent-friendly app is designed to give families peace of mind.<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s expansion in Philadelphia is expected to bring more high-tech buses to the city in the future, depending on how the rollout goes this year.<\/p>\n
What we don’t know:<\/p>\n
It is not yet clear which specific Philadelphia school routes will receive the new buses, and further details about the rollout have not been announced.<\/p>\n
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