Redwood City, Calif. – September 07, 2026 -- The Most Important Commute, a new book by Zum Founder and CEO Ritu Narayan, has reached #1 on Amazon's bestseller list in Education Administration, spotlighting student transportation as a core driver of educational access.
Book argues school bus reliability directly shapes classroom outcomes for 26 million U.S. students
Narayan draws on more than a decade building Zum and working with school districts, families, drivers and transportation leaders to argue that the journey to school functions as an education issue, not just a logistics problem. Approximately 26 million students rely on school buses daily, making student mobility one of the largest mass mobility systems in the United States, one that Narayan says has long operated with fragmented technology, limited visibility and outdated infrastructure.
"The school bus is the bridge between a child and everything education can make possible," Narayan said, adding that the book's #1 ranking reinforces how central this issue has become to education discussions.
Zum now operates its AI-powered platform across 6,500 schools in 19 states
The book examines how technology, AI and modernized operations are being deployed in districts nationwide to improve reliability, cut commute times and increase transparency for families. Zum's platform, Zum CMX, is described as a unified, AI-powered operating system built specifically for student mobility, now supporting more than 6,500 schools across 19 states.
Kansas City Public Schools cites equity-focused routing as a "game-changer"
Dr. Jennifer Collier, Superintendent of Kansas City Public Schools, said Zum's track record, enhanced communication and equity-focused decision-making have benefited students, families and drivers in her district, calling the impact a game-changer for KCPS and the surrounding community.
The Most Important Commute is available on Amazon.