Zūm Services, the school bus company that stranded thousands of Howard County students three years ago, has signed a five-year, $120-million deal with the school system.

School system documents reveal that Zūm, which handles roughly a third of the district’s bus routes, will be transporting students to and from school until June 30, 2031, signaling renewed confidence in the San Francisco-based contractor after a rocky start and its drivers union’s threats to strike last fall.

“This extension reflects the strong collaboration between Zūm, the district and the Board, as well as a shared commitment to delivering safe, reliable transportation for students and families,” company spokesperson Jenny Mayfield said in a statement. She added that its buses have arrived on schedule 98% of the time over the past three years.

It’s a striking turnaround for the bus company, which had to fly in approximately 70 bus drivers from Washington state before the first day of school in 2023 to cover its routes. It wasn’t enough, and thousands of Howard County students were stranded without bus service for more than a week. An independent audit blamed the debacle on unfilled school system jobs, a lack of deadlines and overconfidence — both on Zūm’s part and by the school system in its new contractor.

Tensions with Zūm’s drivers union stoked fears of a repeat scenario in the fall. The union authorized a strike as it negotiated an inaugural contract but did not go through with it. Zūm said the two parties have since entered into a collective bargaining agreement.

A union representative for Zūm drivers did not respond to a request for comment.

Zūm drivers are responsible for 196 of Howard County’s 560 bus routes this school year. Students at 50 county schools may receive transportation from a Zūm driver.

Matthew Mitchell’s two children have ridden Zūm buses since their debut. Aside from the initial hiccups, Mitchell said, his children’s bus experiences have been no different than before Zūm’s arrival.

But there are some lingering questions Mitchell said. As a taxpayer, he questions why the school system entered into a partnership with a company that touts electric buses in other states, but three years later, Zūm has only brought in new diesel buses to Howard.

“If they are going to be an electric school bus company, then be an electric school bus company,” Mitchell said. However, he does not want to see his taxes go up to make Zūm’s promise a reality.

Zūm spokesperson Jen Burke said the company “remains committed to advancing electrification nationwide.” Burke said Zūm is pursuing grant funding to support the endeavor for Howard County.

For the coming school year, 16 companies, including Zūm, are contracted to transport Howard students to and from school for a total cost of $58 million. Zūm is being paid $24 million.

Thanks to the “coordinated combination” of all the contractors, the school system eliminated its years-long bus driver shortage and no longer has buses making double-backs to ensure all students arrive to school each day, according to Brian Bassett, a spokesperson for Howard County Public Schools.

With double-backs, drivers would complete a neighborhood route to a certain school, then immediately go back to another neighborhood and take those students to the same school. The double-backs resulted in students waiting at school 30 to 45 minutes before the first bell, and then waiting around to go home in the afternoon.

Bassett declined to comment on the individual contracts. But he did say the contracts are staggered so they don’t end at the same time.

Ben Schmitt, president of the Howard County Education Association, said he is “very concerned” about Zūm’s contract extension. He also wondered why the contractor isn’t further along in providing “green transportation.”

“I am hoping that there are hallmarks that Zūm has to live up to as far as performance, as far as actively recruiting drivers, especially substitute drivers — they better be putting money back into programs and [bus] lots so there aren’t excuses about inclement weather,” Schmitt said.

This past winter’s snowstorm served as a reminder to some that Zūm still has work to do.

The storm closed schools for four days, and when they finally reopened school officials had to scramble to alert the community of heavily delayed buses or canceled Zūm routes.

No other transportation contractors had delays out of the ordinary on that Monday morning, Bassett said at the time.

A Zūm spokesperson chalked up the delays to “significant” ice and snow on the roofs of some buses. The extreme cold prevented the bus company from fully clearing off all of its buses before the morning routes, the company said at the time.

Said Schmitt, “I am concerned about having them for five more years given the very rocky start and this past winter was alarming as far as a sign for the future.”