BuuPass

BuuPass is tackling the digitization of Africa's long-distance transport market, a sector valued at $40 billion. The company was founded in 2016 by Sonia Kabra and Wyclife Omondi. The founders, originally from India and Kenya respectively, met at Earlham College in the U.S., where they bonded over shared frustrations with inaccessible public transportation in their home countries. This shared experience led them to develop the idea for BuuPass, which won the prestigious Hult Prize in 2016, securing them $1 million in seed funding to launch the venture. Kabra has a background in biochemistry and experience in product management, while Omondi studied economics and previously worked as a transportation consultant at the World Bank.

BuuPass operates on a B2B2C model, functioning as a full-stack marketplace for the intercity transport industry. The company provides transport operators—including bus, train, and flight companies—with a Bus Management System (BMS). This SaaS platform enables operators to digitize their operations, manage inventory, handle sales, and access data-driven analytics, which helps to minimize cash leakage and inform business decisions. For consumers, BuuPass offers a marketplace accessible via its website, app, and USSD, allowing them to search, compare, and book tickets for various modes of transport. This solves a major pain point for travelers who previously wasted significant time and money to purchase tickets in person from operators using manual, paper-based systems. The company generates revenue through commissions on tickets sold through its platform.

Initially launched as Magic Bus Ticketing with a B2C focus, the founders quickly realized the primary challenge was the lack of digitization among operators and pivoted to the current B2B2C model. This strategic shift proved successful, and BuuPass is now the exclusive ticket provider for Kenya Railways and has partnerships with major companies like Safaricom to offer bookings through the M-PESA super app. The company has processed over 16 million tickets, generating more than $100 million in sales. Following a $1.3 million pre-seed funding round in 2023 and the strategic acquisition of QuickBus in 2024, BuuPass expanded its operations into Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, and Nigeria. The company aims to establish a presence in a total of 12 African markets by 2025.

Keywords: transportation technology, online ticketing, bus booking, flight booking, train booking, mobility marketplace, Africa transport, SaaS for transport, intercity travel, digital infrastructure, travel logistics, mobile payments, USSD booking, transport digitization, fleet management, Kenya transport, East Africa mobility, M-PESA integration, travel aggregation, last-mile connectivity