Zūm School Bus Services drivers, who handle roughly a third of the Howard County Public School System’s transportation routes, authorized a strike Thursday.

The potential strike comes as the bus drivers union works to negotiate an inaugural contract with its employer.

As of now, a strike isn’t imminent and Zūm has promised there is no interruption to bus service, according to a community message from the school system.

Zūm drivers are responsible for 196 of Howard County’s 560 bus routes, schools spokesperson Brian Bassett said. Students at 50 county schools may receive transportation from a Zūm driver.

“After a highly successful start to the school year, it would be extremely disappointing and frustrating for students and families to experience the disruptions that cancelled routes bring and the associated impact on student attendance,” the school system said in a community email Thursday afternoon.

Zūm, a San Francisco-based company, became a contractor for Howard County schools in 2023. The partnership got off to a rocky start when the company flew in 70-some bus drivers from Washington state before the first day of school to cover routes. They weren’t enough, leaving thousands of Howard students stranded without bus service.

An independent audit released last September blamed the debacle on unfilled school system jobs, a lack of deadlines and overconfidence of — and in — Zūm. Since then, the school system’s transportation department has resolved many of those issues.

“We apologize for the anxiety that this news may bring and thank you for your continuing partnership on behalf of our students,” the school system’s Thursday email reads.

In February, 300 Zūm drivers, trainers and bus attendants voted to unionize and joined Teamsters Local 570, a Baltimore chapter that represents workers in a number of industries, including passenger transportation.

The union “overwhelmingly” rejected Zūm’s “unacceptable, last, best, final contract offer,” according to a news release.

The contract offer falls short with wages, guaranteed hours and sick leave, George Canida, a bus driver on the union’s negotiating committee, said in a statement.

“We are prepared to strike because we know we deserve better. We love our jobs and the students we drive, but we need an economics package on par with other bus drivers in Howard County and the surrounding area,” Canida said.

According to a Zūm spokesperson, negotiations between the company and the union are ongoing and “we will continue to do our best to reach a contract and avoid a strike in the future.”

Howard County isn’t the only school district to face a potential bus driver strike.

In late August, school bus drivers and attendants in Anne Arundel County authorized a strike. Roughly a month later, the drivers and aides ratified a new contract that offered a bump in wages and “provides a path to adequate and affordable health care,” the union said in a release.

Banner reporter Kristen Griffith contributed to this article.