The news:
- BuuPass, a Kenyan-based travel booking platform, has announced acquiring QuickBus, a bus ticketing platform with operations in Nigeria and South Africa, in a cash and stock deal.
- Both Founders Factory Africa-backed BuuPass and QuickBus have yet to disclose the amount in the deal.
- BuuPass, formerly Magic Bus Ticketing, is expected to use the acquisition to expand its collaborations with banks and telcos to provide more services, including API integration.
BuuPass, for example, previously collaborated with Safaricom on the M-PESA bus booking service, a super app that allows Kenya's more than 10 million mobile money users to purchase bus tickets.
BuuPass will gain access to QuickBus' existing partnerships with major players in Nigeria and South Africa, including Vodaphone's VodaPay app in South Africa.
BuuPass will also replace QuickBus for existing integrations such as VodaPay. Consequently, QuickBus' Nigerian and South African customers will now use BuuPass to book travel across all platforms.
Developers and product managers at QuickBus will continue to work with the BuuPass team to ensure smooth integration processes. Then, the head of operations at QuickBus’ South Africa business will join the management team at BuuPass.
BuuPass, launched in Kenya in 2017 by Wycliffe Omondi and Sonia Kabra, raised $1.3 million pre-seed in February 2023 to digitise Kenya's traditional bus ticketing system. Since then, it has been seeking to expand to new African markets.
Thanks to this acquisition, the company will now have a presence in Nigeria and South Africa, significantly increasing its active monthly users.
Since its inception, the company claims to have sold more than 6 million travel tickets and generated over $100 million in ticket sales.
BuuPass says its platform, which caters to over 16 million passengers, covers national and international routes in West, East, and Southern Africa.
“Starting today, BuuPass users can access international routes across 16 African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Malawi, Nigeria, and Ghana. Major routes, such as Johannesburg to Cape Town and Durban to Capetown, can be found on the platform today, with more to be added by the end of Q2,” BuuPass noted.
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BuuPass will release additional travel options, such as train and flight bookings, as part of the post-acquisition integration processes. These options were previously only available in Kenya.
