ENTERPRISE 101

Sh100m Prize Winners Steering a Digital Bus Booking Startup

Share
(From right) Buu-Pass co founders Wyclife Omondi and Sonia Kabra flags off a bus with Easy Coach MD Azym Dosa and Safaricom Chief Enterprise Business Officer Rita Okuthe during the Buu-Pass Safaricom launch. Photo/ Buu-Pass
Share

Started by two campus students in 2017, Buu-Pass offers customers a traveling alternative that does not entail standing in long queues to book a ride.

The two, Kenyan Wyclife Omondi and Indian Sonia Kabra, started the online bus booking company after winning a prestigious award in 2016. Sonia and Wyclife capitalised on the prize and their current success is deserved, thanks to the efforts the two have put in creating business partnerships with the bus companies and other corporations.

Buu-Pass works with leading bus companies in the country including the likes of Easy Coach, Modern Coast, Greenline, Crown, and East Africa Shuttle. The company also manages the Standard Gauge Railway’s (SGR) booking website.

Speaking to a Business Today reporter, Buu-Pass co-founder Wyclife Omondi said that they had initially planned to storm the matatu business by introducing the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) which the government has been trying to incorporate in the country.

However, they changed the idea to solely work with long-distance transport after getting ideas from an article on the Havard business review.

“We had other ideas like bringing the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) buses like the ones the government is trying to incorporate in the system but an article on Havard Business Review gave us a better idea. The article said that to solve the transport problem, you have to solve the logistics issue in it first,” Omondi noted.

Despite the fact that the idea has not been much explored in the country, Buu Pass suffers some competition too. Most competition comes from the bus companies that have their own online booking platform.

“There is competition from individual bus companies that have their own platforms but what Buu Pass provides is a platform where one can choose and compare one company to another,” Sonia notes, “What we are trying to do is bring all the companies together.”

The company is steadily growing and has initiated plans to venture into flights. In regards to these plans, the company has formed partnerships with Silverstone Air. However, flights can only be paid in dollars but Buu-Pass is planning to introduce M-Pesa payments to flight booking. This is because the company recently partnered with Safaricom

Buu-Pass has been providing bus ticketing solutions for more than a year and has already sold more than 80,000 tickets across more than 100 routes. The most popular destinations among travelers include Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Kakamega, Migori and Bondo.

Before settling on Buu-Pass, the company donned the name ‘Magic Bus’ which they used in the competition that won them a million dollars.

The then students managed to be first among 54 participants in the second stage of the competition. In the third stage, they were first among 5 teams. They were almost bundled out in the first stage as they qualified through a wildcard.

In the competition, teams were required to come up with pitched plans that could double incomes among the crowded urban poor and, perhaps, win them the coveted Hult Prize. The prize is funded by Bertil Hult, founder of EF Education First, and operates in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative.

Buu-Pass Co-founder Sonia Kabra talks of the steps Buu Pass has made ever since winning the prize.

“We have achieved below the line activation in different bus stations. We are creating this behavioural change among the customers where you don’t need to call the booking office but rather trust the platform to book and pay for your trip,” Sonia told Business Today.

Written by
Kevin Namunwa -

Kevin Namunwa is a senior reporter for Business Today. Email at namunwa19@gmail.com.

1 Comment

  • Atimes when you have an idea, an innovation just pray God to lead you to the right people cuz the enemy is always ready to steal whatever idea you might have.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN POLITICS

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Related Articles
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign & Diaspora Affairs
FEATURED STORY

Inside Kenya’s 60 Years of Diplomatic Journey

Kenya is set to commemorate 60 years of diplomacy this week starting...

Aquila East Africa
MEDIANEWS

Kenyan Communications Firm Aquila Expands into Rwanda, Uganda

Aquila East Africa, a leading Kenyan integrated communications firm has expanded into...

Live Mobile Sports Betting in Africa
SMART MONEY

The Rise of Live Mobile Sports Betting in Africa

With mobile phone penetration increasing at an unprecedented rate and internet connectivity...

BUSINESS

Bolt Invests Sh14 Billion to Tackle Most Complex Challenge in Ride-Hailing

Bolt will commit Ksh14 billion over three years to support raising awareness...