BuuPass, a travel booking platform based in Kenya, has announced its acquisition of QuickBus, a bus ticketing platform operating in Nigeria and South Africa, in a cash and stock agreement.

While both BuuPass and QuickBus, backed by Founders Factory Africa, have not disclosed the financial terms of the deal, this strategic move is anticipated to bolster BuuPass’s position in the market.

Formerly known as Magic Bus Ticketing, BuuPass aims to leverage this acquisition to enhance its partnerships with banks and telecommunications companies. Through API integration and expanded services, BuuPass seeks to offer a more comprehensive and seamless booking experience to its customers.

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. The company 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.

Founded in 2017 by Wycliffe Omondi and Sonia Kabra, BuuPass secured $1.3 million in pre-seed funding in February 2023 with the aim of modernizing Kenya’s conventional bus ticketing system. Subsequently, the company has been actively pursuing expansion into other African markets.

With the recent acquisition of QuickBus, BuuPass is poised to establish a footprint in Nigeria and South Africa, resulting in a significant surge in its active monthly user base. Since its establishment, BuuPass boasts of selling more than 6 million travel tickets and generating over $100 million in ticket sales.