When the 2026‑27 school year began, Shawnee Mission families quickly discovered that the district’s new transportation partner, Zum Services, was struggling to keep buses on schedule. Joe Pacey’s 7th‑grade daughter arrived 47 minutes late on the first day, and for the next three days the bus never reached her stop.
Parents step in as buses run behind
Because of the delays, Pacey’s wife and several neighboring parents began driving their children to school. The Zum app allowed families to monitor the situation, but the unpredictable arrival times created challenges for working households. “We’re getting by,” Pacey said, noting that the flexibility of their schedule helped mitigate the impact.
District response and Zum’s explanation
Shawnee Mission School District sent a message to families on Tuesday, acknowledging the frustrations of the first five school days and stating that it is working with Zum to resolve the issues. Zum posted an online update saying most routes were running smoothly, but some were behind schedule due to drivers handling three separate routes—high school, elementary and middle school—each morning.
The district’s bell schedule starts with high schools at 7:40 a.m., elementary at 8:10 a.m., and middle schools at 8:45 a.m. Because drivers begin with the high‑school route, any delay cascades to the later routes, which explains why middle‑school students, like Pacey’s daughter, experienced the longest waits.
Impact on families and costs
Bus service in Shawnee Mission is not free. Families pay $185 per student per semester ($370 per year), with an “early‑bird” discount of $160 per semester ($320 per year). For families living within 2.5 miles of their child’s school, the cost can feel steep, especially when service reliability is in question.
Diane Meyers, who cares for four grandchildren, recounted a separate incident where a 7th‑grader’s bus was stuck for hours on a private lake community road, forcing children to walk home after the driver refused to let them off. The episode left some students hesitant to board the bus again.
Steps being taken to improve service
Zum plans to add 15‑20 new routes and drivers, aiming to shorten existing routes and reduce turnaround time between the three daily runs. The company also urged families needing transportation to register their students promptly so they can be added to the routing system. Over the weekend, Zum added 688 students to its routes.
According to Zum’s data, 98% of high‑school riders arrived on time on Monday, compared with 85% of elementary and 83% of middle‑school riders. The district and Zum expect on‑time performance to improve by the end of the week.
Background on the contract
In January, the Shawnee Mission Board of Education unanimously approved a seven‑year contract with Zum Services, valued at $21 million annually with an $18 million initial cost. The contract was chosen over First Student and Durham Student Services. Features of the Zum fleet include air‑conditioned buses and a tracking system that shows parents and school officials the bus’s location and student pick‑up/drop‑off times.
Both Pacey and Meyers said they have had positive interactions with Zum’s local manager and remain hopeful that the early‑week frustrations will be resolved. “While it’s been a frustrating couple of weeks, I do appreciate the proactive communication from both the district and Zum,” Pacey said.
Original reporting: Johnson County Post (Overland Park) — read the source article.
