In Kenya, the public transport sector is largely traditional, with operators requiring their clients to physically book tickets at their offices even when making advance travel plans. Others do not have provisions for seat reservation, often leaving travelers to fend for themselves in finding a place to sit. This can be difficult in larger cities where crowds and limited space make it difficult to find an open bench or stand. As a result, manyKenyansinstead rely on Taxi services or use alternative means of transportation such as Uber or cabs when traveling short distances.
One way that booking platforms are trying to bridge the gap between operators and booking customers is by digitizing their operations. BuuPass is an actively looking platform that is focused on helping operators digitize their workflow. This will allow them to automate processes and make it easier for customers to book travel reservations.
Africa is a promising market for startups, and Mazigo has taken note. The company plans to first scale in Kenya and Uganda, before exploring other markets backed by a $1.3 million pre-seed funding it has raised from the Founders Factory Africa, FrontEnd Ventures, Adaverse, Gullit, Five35, Renew Capital, Changecom, XA Network
In 2016, BuuPass co-founder Sonia Kabra and Wycliffe Omondi founded the company with the goal of revolutionizing transportation in East Africa by creating a pan-African infrastructure for long distance transportation. With this new funding, BuuPass will be able to expand their operations in Kenya and Uganda and hire additional employees on the growth side to build systems for scale. This investment will allow them to better serve their customers and increase their market share significantly.
BuuPass has created a BMS that helps manage their operations, inventory and sales. The platform then connects them to its marketplace where passengers can search, compare and book their tickets using different channels. BuuPass is able to provide this service because it has partnerships with various platforms and provides USSD codes so that passengers can easily access the service no matter where they are.
The BMS includes a point-of-sale solution to capture transactions, and to provide access to a parcel management module. This module allows retailers to track parcels as they move through the shipping process, ensuring that shipments arrive on time and in the correct condition.
The ability to manage fleets and businesses better and reduce cash leakages is one of the key benefits that BMS operators claim to gain from using the technology. BuuPass has been designed specifically for this purpose, allowing companies to better understand their customers and loyalty trends, as well as detect potential fraudulent activity. This data can then be used to draw insights which can help improve business operations overall.
Over the course of 9 million ticket sales, the company has managed to generate a total gross merchandise value (GMV) of over $30 million. This success speaks volumes about its unique booking platform and ability to connect customers with tickets they will love. The company’s rapid growth indicates that there is an immense market for its services, and it looks poised to continue expanding rapidly in the years to come.
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BuuPass has come up with a novel way of facilitating train bookings, by partnering with Safaricom, the parent company of mobile money service M-Pesa. This will make it easier for Kenyans to purchase trains tickets without having to carry any cash or withdraw money from ATMs. BuuPass, in conjunction with M-Pesa, aims to provide a seamless and more efficient experience when it comes to buying train tickets.
Safaricom’s partnership with Kenya Railways allows the two companies to work closely together to provide a seamless experience for their customers. This partnership has helped Safaricom prove its credibility in the market and reach wider audiences.
In early 2018, BuuPass announced a new collaborative project with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to tackle global transportation challenges in developing countries. The platform will use data analytics and machine learning to identify the most efficient and affordable ways for people to move around cities.
The bus operators initially balked at the idea of digitizing their operations, believing that it would be too much work. However, they quickly realized that the idea was not feasible as the operations of most bus companies were overwhelmingly manual, hence the need to prioritize digitization.
Kabra’s company, which goes by the name of AP&C, is a software developer that specializes in developing bus management systems for various organizations. Their primary client base is the operators of buses in India, but they have also provided services to other transportation companies around the world. One of their most interesting projects was building a bus management system for the operators of buses in India who were facing many problems. among them was rampant cash leakage and a lack of transparency into their sales. By providing these bus operators with a system that allowed them to track their trips and manage their tickets digitally, Kabra’s company was able to help improve circulation and decrease cash losses among these operators.
