Zum vs First View
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Zum
This app allows parents to easily track and manage their child's school transportation in real-time. Parents can view driver and vehicle details, receive notifications, and communicate specific instructions or changes to drivers. It aims to provide a flexible, efficient, and transparent student transportation experience.
- Real-time ride tracking
- Driver and vehicle profiles
- Pickup and dropoff notifications
- Driver instruction input
- Ride feedback
- Cancel or change rides
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Zūm is bringing flexible, efficient, connected and sustainable student transportation to school districts, communities and families across the United States. We know that families are incredibly busy, so we’ve made Zūm easy for parents to track and manage their child’s school rides. With our app parents can: - Quickly view driver and vehicle profiles. - Track the location of vehicles and your child’s ride progression in real-time. - Receive pickup and dropoff notifications. - Provide specific instructions for your child’s driver. - Leave feedback about the driver or your child’s experience on the ride. - Easily communicate changes or cancel a ride if a child is sick or absent. Our drivers go through a rigorous selection and vetting process, while our app provides full transparency to eliminate the chaos and anxiety of getting students to and from school everyday. Want to learn more or ask a question? Visit us at https://ridezum.com
First View
This app helps K-12 parents and caregivers monitor their student's school commute. It provides real-time vehicle tracking, trip updates, and instant notifications for a stress-free transportation experience.
- Real-time vehicle location tracking
- Monitor multiple students and transportation types
- Access trip details and updates
- Receive instant notifications and service alerts
- Set up custom alerts for family members
- Dedicated customer support
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For K-12 parents and caregivers, we understand the importance of a stress-free school commute for your student. That's why we've developed FirstView, our easy-to-use vehicle tracking app. FirstView allows you to plan your day and stay connected with your student's trips, regardless of the type of vehicle your student travels in. With FirstView: - See real-time vehicle location and track its progress - Easily monitor multiple students, including yellow school bus and special/alternative transportation journeys - Quickly access updates and vehicle details for each trip - Receive instant notifications and service alerts from your district - Set up family members and caregivers to receive customizable trip update alerts - Dedicated customer support at your fingertips
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Zum at fortnightly against First View's monthly. First View's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Zum against 4.8 for First View. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.7K and 14K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 34% of Zum's written reviews are positive against 38% of First View's.
Zum ships an update fortnightly, First View monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Zum | First View |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (6.7K ratings) | 4.8 (14K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 34.1% of reviews | 38.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6.7K | 14K — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 106 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Zum Services, Inc. | Firstgroup America Inc |
Customer experience
Zum
First View
Bugs and requests
Zum
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
First View
Reported bugs
3 issues- Routes disappearing from app
- Login and password reset problems
- Glitchy user interface
Requested features
3 requests- Estimated time of arrival for bus
- Simpler setup and configuration
- Consistent performance across all users
In-app purchases
Zum
No in-app purchases
First View
No in-app purchases









