Kenyan mobility startup, BuuPass, has landed an investment from Yango Ventures — the corporate venture arm of the UAE-based tech group Yango — in a deal aimed at transforming long-distance travel across Africa’s fragmented transport sector.
- •While financial terms remain undisclosed, the deal marks a major milestone for BuuPass, which processed over US$70 million in bookings and sold more than 20 million tickets in 2024 alone.
- •The startup now counts over 150 transport operators across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Africa; and has raised a total of US$2.94 million over four funding rounds, its last being the US$1.3 million pre-seed in 2023.
- •Founded in 2016 by Sonia Kabra and Wyclife Omondi, BuuPass offers a suite of digital tools that allow users to book buses, trains, flights, and parcel delivery services via mobile apps, USSD, APIs, and offline sales agents.
“We’re building the infrastructure that makes modern travel work across Africa. Every new route, every operator, every integration strengthens the network. Yango Ventures got that from day one. They’re the kind of partner who leans in with insight, not just capital, and that makes all the difference when you’re building something this ambitious,” BuuPass co-CEO, Sonia Kabra said.
On its backend, it provides operators with inventory management, payments processing, and fleet oversight thus forming a digital backbone for the intercity transport sector long plagued by inefficiency. The financial backing positions BuuPass to expand its footprint and deepen its infrastructure in regions where public transport is often disorganized or offline.
In 2024, BuuPass acquired South Africa-based QuickBus in a strategic play that extended its reach into the southern corridor and Nigeria, two vital transport and commerce markets.
The investment by Yango Ventures is part of a newly launched US$20 million fund targeting high-growth markets in Africa, Latin Americas, and the Middle East.
