General Education Transportation Services

We offer general education transportation services to limited (43) schools, for students in:

• Grades TK-8 attending one of 30 Elementary Schools or one of 7 K-8 Schools
• Grades 6-8 attending one of 6 Middle Schools 

Design of bus routes and assignment of students to bus services is governed by the  Board of Education Policy on General Education Transportation. All GE bus stops are located close to focal students, prioritizing stops near public housing, transitional housing, and CTIP1 areas of the city. 

General Education Transportation service is intended for students who need transportation to school on a daily basis.  Students who fail to use the service for three consecutive days may lose access unless they have informed us of their temporary absence.

Key Dates

Initial Registration Window: May 6-July 12, 2024. Apply by July 12th to ensure your student can be considered for general education transportation services on the first day of school. Not all students who apply by July 12th will be approved due to limited bus availability. When demand is greater than the number of bus seats available, staff will use the Board’s transportation policy guidelines to determine which students will be offered transportation services. 

After July 12th, the form will remain open so families can request services throughout the year; as long as there is space, we will add more riders throughout the school year.

July 26, 2024: Notifications  The Transportation Department will notify all families requesting general education transportation services whether their request has been approved or denied. Please contact the SFUSD Transportation Department at (415) 695-5505 with any questions.

Week of July 29th: Family Onboarding.  Please be on the lookout for a text and email (support@ridezum.com) coming from our transportation partner Zūm.  The email will guide you through creating your Zūm family account, and provide instructions to download the Zūm family app, as well as a copy of the Zūm family handbook. Zūm’s mobile app and web technology platform allows families, school and district administrators to real-time track vehicles and students, communicate seamlessly, rate their experience and measure performance. 

Due to capacity constraints, we may not be able to accommodate all families who request services,  so we encourage families to explore alternative transportation options, including the Free Muni for All Youth program expansion, that allows all youth under the age of 19 to ride Muni without proof of payment: www.sfmta.com, www.sfsaferoutes.org

Registration Window: May 6 - July 12, 2024.

• Students who are registered and currently riding the bus in the 23-24 School Year, who will be attending the same school for the 24-25 school year can continue to ride the bus and do not need to re-apply. 
• Students who are transferring to a different school that has GE transportation available must re-apply and be approved before they can ride the bus to the new school.  If they are approved, they can continue using the same ridership card for the new route.

Please visit https://register.ridezum.com/sfusd-sy-2024-25 to request GE transportation for the 2024-25 School Year.

Not all students who apply by July 12th will be approved due to limited bus availability. When demand is greater than the number of bus seats available, staff will use the Board’s transportation policy guidelines to determine which students will be offered transportation services. 

After July 12th, the form will remain open so families can request services throughout the year; as long as there is space, we will add more riders throughout the school year.

July 26th: Notifications  The Transportation Department will notify all families requesting general education transportation services whether their request has been approved or denied. Please contact the SFUSD Transportation Department at (415) 695-5505 with any questions.

SFUSD student ridership cards are required to enter and exit the general education school bus. Every student approved for ridership is issued a student ridership card, which ensures that students arrive at their destinations safely.  When students scan their cards on the bus reader upon entry and exit, families are able to track their students on the Zum Family App. If your ridership card is lost or does not work you can request a replacement using this form. 

For the student’s safety, drivers can only pick up and drop off students at the student’s assigned bus stop. Students are not allowed to board the bus or to get off the bus at a different stop.  To assure your child is at the correct stop, please download the Zum Family App by visiting app.ridezum.com. 

With the app, parents can also: 

• Quickly view driver and vehicle profiles
• Track the location of vehicles and your child’s ride progression in real-time
• Receive pickup and drop-off notifications
• Leave feedback about the driver or your child’s experience on the ride.
• Easily communicate to cancel a ride if a child is sick or absent