Student RFID Bus Cards
Jump to: Basics | Card Benefits | Student Experience | Info For Families | Resources | Contact
The Basics
Effective February 2025, HCPSS will expand its pilot program for a student bus identification card to all elementary schools and several others that are serviced by Zum Services, Inc., which has the required hardware and software readily available.
Identified bus-rider students are provided with an RFID (radio-frequency identification) Card, on which a student’s assigned bus is stored on a contactless chip in the card. Student bus cards use the same contactless RFID technology found in metro transit passes, corporate access cards, and other commonly used ID cards. Tapping the bus card records only the student boarding or disembarking the vehicle. The Zum RFID bus cards are not GPS-enabled and cannot track or follow a student’s movements outside of getting on or off their bus.
RFID Card Benefits
Having student bus-riders use an identification card is crucial to HCPSS’ work to provide safe and efficient bus transportation. The use of the student bus card:
- Ensures students on the bus are quickly identified in an emergency situation
- Allows parents to track when students enter and exit a school bus
- Assists if a student is reported lost
- Identifies if an unauthorized rider tries to board a school bus
In addition, the use of student bus cards helps HCPSS increase the efficiency of bus service. The information gathered assists with the optimization of school bus routes by providing accurate ridership and capacity data so that the school district can make adjustments to routes and service. HCPSS does not otherwise have a mechanism to track student ridership information, which, at this time, is gathered by counting students loading and unloading buses.
The Student Experience
Eligible students will be given their RFID cards at school.
Student bus cards are uniquely assigned to students and cannot be shared. Students’ first names and last initials are printed on the cards to help with identification.
When boarding or disembarking the bus, students will tap their card on the card reader installed at the front of the bus near the driver. When tapped, the card wirelessly transmits a unique code to the tablet on the bus, which knows which student is assigned to that code.
No eligible student will be denied bus service if they lose or forget their card.
For Applicable Families
Parents/guardians will have access to their student’s ridership information via the Zum app, which many families already use for bus pickup/drop off information. The Zum app is available for free download on the Apple Store and Google Play. Additional details on downloading and using the Zum app are available online.
Resources & More Information
In addition to the information above, HCPSS has answers to many of your frequently asked questions on its Help website. Zum also provides FAQs on its website.
Contact
If after reviewing this page and the relevant FAQs, you still have questions, contacts are as follows:
- Student RFID Bus Cards: Contact your child’s school.
- General Questions About HCPSS Transportation: Call the HCPSS Office of Student Transportation at 410-313-6732.
- Zum App Questions or Technical Support: Call Zum at (855) 743-3986 or via email at support@ridezum.com.