BuuPass, A Kenyan Startup Making Transportation More Accessible Across Africa, Secures New Funding
New funding has been raised to improve intercity travel across Africa.
BuuPass
Founded in 2017, BuuPass markets itself as a digital ticketing platform for bus, train, and flight purchases, its website mentions. Its inception was sparked during the 2016 Hult Prize Challenge, a global student competition that asked students that year to create something that would “better connect people to goods, services, and resources.” For company co-founders Sonia Kabra and Wyclife Omondi, this equated to making transportation more efficient in Kenya.
“We’re building the infrastructure that makes modern travel work across Africa. Every new route, every operator, every integration strengthens the network,” said Sonia Kabra, co-CEO of BuuPass, according to Techcabal.
The platform requires four simple steps for users, such as entering their travel dates, after which they will be shown various travel routes and pricing, per its website. Once the user selects an ideal route, they can book directly on the BuuPass website using their preferred payment to retrieve their SMS tickets.
According to information shared on Kabra’s LinkedIn, the platform had over $70 million in bookings in 2024, sold more than 25 million tickets, and has digitized and connected over 150 transport operators across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Africa to customers.
Per Techcabal, its differentiator among competitors is its multi-vertical coverage and deep infrastructure.
New Funding
BuuPass intends to accelerate its reach and impact in light of new funding from Yango Ventures. The exact amount was not provided, but BuuPass has raised $2.94 million in four rounds of total funding, with $1.3 million credited to a 2023 pre-seed round from investors, including Founders Factory Africa, FrontEnd Ventures, Adaverse, and angel investors.
“We’ve long admired how Yango transforms global tech into local impact. Bridging innovation and community, scaling with insight, and making life easier through seamless mobility,” Kabra wrote on LinkedIn. “With Yango’s experience and support, we’re scaling smarter, reaching wider, and solving harder problems across African travel.”
BuuPass’ latest update surrounding the investment comes one year after its acquisition of Quickbus, which expanded its footprint in Nigeria and throughout Africa.
