Kenyan mobility startup BuuPass has raised an undisclosed amount of strategic funding from Yango Ventures, marking another milestone for the platform that’s quietly become one of Africa’s most successful travel booking companies.
The funding comes as BuuPass continues to expand across the continent, having already processed over 16 million travel tickets and generated more than $100 million in total value of goods sold since its 2016 launch.
The BuuPass play
Founded by Sonia Kabra and Wyclife Omondi, BuuPass operates as a B2B2C mobility marketplace that lets users search, compare, and book travel tickets through web, mobile app, or USSD. But the real magic happens on the B2B side – the startup’s SaaS platform helps bus operators manage their operations, inventory, and sales, essentially digitizing an industry that has historically operated offline.
It’s a model that’s proven sticky in markets across Africa, where intercity bus travel remains the dominant form of long-distance transportation for millions of people. By solving operational challenges for bus operators while making booking more convenient for passengers, BuuPass has positioned itself as the infrastructure layer for bus travel across the continent.
The startup’s traction is impressive: those 16 million tickets represent real people moving between cities, and the $100 million+ in total value shows the economic impact of digitizing previously informal transportation networks.
Yango’s African bet
The investment from Yango Ventures isn’t just about the money – it’s about strategic positioning. Launched in April by global ride-hailing and tech conglomerate Yango Group, Yango Ventures is a $20 million corporate venture fund specifically targeting early-stage startups in Africa.
For Yango, which operates ride-hailing services in multiple African markets, the BuuPass investment represents a complementary play in the mobility ecosystem. While Yango focuses on urban transportation, BuuPass dominates intercity travel – creating potential synergies across the full spectrum of African mobility.
“We are more than just a tech company; we are an ecosystem committed to empowering entrepreneurs worldwide,” said Yango Group CEO Daniil Shuleyko. “Through Yango Ventures, we’re sharing our expertise and network to help startups scale, thrive, and drive meaningful change in their communities.”
The strategic nature of the partnership becomes clearer when you consider Yango’s broader African ambitions. The company has been steadily expanding its ride-hailing operations across the continent, and backing successful mobility startups like BuuPass gives it deeper insights into transportation patterns and user behavior.
Building on momentum
This latest funding round follows a busy period for BuuPass. The startup raised $1.3 million in pre-seed funding in 2023 and acquired South Africa’s QuickBus last year, signaling its intention to become the dominant intercity travel platform across Africa.
The company has also caught the attention of major tech players – it participated in the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program and received backing from the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund, validating its approach to solving transportation challenges across the continent.
“Yango leans in with insight, not just capital,” said Kabra, highlighting the strategic value of the partnership beyond just the funding.
The bigger picture
BuuPass’s success reflects broader trends in African mobility. As smartphone penetration increases and digital payment systems become more widespread, there’s a massive opportunity to digitize transportation networks that have historically operated through cash transactions and informal booking systems.
The startup’s B2B2C model is particularly smart – instead of trying to build a consumer brand from scratch, BuuPass partners with existing bus operators, helping them modernize their operations while gaining access to their customer base. It’s a faster path to scale in markets where trust and local relationships matter.
The acquisition of QuickBus also shows BuuPass’s pan-African ambitions. By expanding beyond Kenya into South Africa, the startup is building the infrastructure for a continent-wide mobility platform – exactly the kind of vision that attracts strategic investors like Yango Ventures.
What’s next
While BuuPass hasn’t disclosed the exact amount of this latest funding round, the strategic nature of the investment suggests it’s less about immediate capital needs and more about building long-term partnerships that can accelerate expansion.
With Yango’s backing, BuuPass is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing digitization of African transportation. The startup’s proven model, strong traction metrics, and strategic partnerships create a solid foundation for the next phase of growth.
As African mobility continues to evolve, BuuPass has positioned itself as essential infrastructure – the kind of boring but critical technology that enables millions of people to move between cities more efficiently. That’s exactly the type of unsexy but necessary innovation that builds lasting businesses.
