Kenyan startup BuuPass, a B2B2C mobility marketplace platform that digitises intercity bus and transportation operations in Africa, plans to be active in eight more markets, taking the total to 12, by 2025, after its recent acquisition of counterpart QuickBus.
Founded in 2016 by Sonia Kabra and Wyclife Omondi, BuuPass is a B2B2C mobility marketplace that enables users to search, compare, and book travel tickets via web, app, or USSD, while its SaaS platform helps bus operators manage their operations, inventory, and sales.
So far, the startup has sold over 16 million travel tickets and generated over US$100 million in total value of goods sold, while it has also taken part in the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa and been backed by the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund.
“We identified that 95 per cent of the African intercity transport market is still undigitised. Bus operators lack tools to digitise, leading to inefficiencies and poor customer experience. On the consumer side, there was no platform to compare and book tickets. Our main competitors are traditional offline operators and local e-ticketing players,” Kabra told Disrupt Africa.
BuuPass announced a US$1.3 million pre-seed round in February 2023, and last month acquired QuickPass, a fellow Kenyan bus ticketing venture. Launched in 2019, QuickBus aggregates long distance bus tickets in a marketplace, making it easier for users to compare prices and book journeys, and helping bus companies run their businesses more efficiently.
The acquisition of QuickBus means BuuPass is now live in South Africa and Nigeria, in addition to Kenya and Uganda, but that is just the start of the story as far as African expansion goes.
“We have aggressive expansion plans to enter eight new markets by 2025, with Tanzania being our next target,” said Kabra.
In the markets in which it already operates, BuuPass has a strong presence. It is currently live in more than 650 localities in Kenya and over 80 in Uganda, with plans for rapid expansion.
“Our playbook involves B2B sales for bus digitisation, B2C marketing, and partnerships with telcos and banks,” Kabra said. “We generate revenue through commissions on bus, train, and flight tickets.”
BuuPass’ main challenges, she said, have been slow digitisation by bus operators, building the two-sided marketplace, the impact of COVID-19 on travel, and expansion into new markets.
“However, we are overcoming these challenges through a focused expansion playbook, strengthening our team, and honing our go-to-market models,” said Kabra.
