THE CHALLENGE: Africa’s long-distance transport network is a patchwork of disconnected operators, paper tickets and dusty bus stations, leaving millions of travelers stranded in long queues, overpaying for unpredictable services or simply unable to get where they need to go. In Kenya and Uganda alone, lost productivity from transport delays and missed connections racks up into the billions annually, while rural communities remain cut off from markets, schools and hospitals. Traditional travel agents dominate ticket sales, often charging hefty fees and offering scant visibility into schedules or safety records. Wyclife Omondi, fresh from advising the World Bank on transport policy, saw firsthand how these inefficiencies stifle economic growth and throttle personal mobility. He knew that a digital layer uniting buses, trains and flights could turn chaos into convenience and tap into a $2.5 billion market that’s begging for disruption.

THE PROCESS: Leveraging his deep understanding of Africa’s transport bottlenecks, Wyclife teamed up with Sonia Kabra, Hult Prize winner and tech innovator, to build BuuPass in Nairobi in 2016. They started by marrying local knowledge with agile product development: designing a web platform, mobile app and even USSD interface so customers in low-connectivity zones could compare routes, prices and departure times on their device. Behind the scenes, they rolled out a Bus Management System that let operators track seats in real time, reduce overbooking and plug revenue leaks. Revenue comes from a commission on each booking and subscription fees for the BMS, with plans to upsell value-added services like insurance and parcel delivery. Their complementary skill sets, Wyclife’s financial modeling and fundraising skills and Sonia’s flair for UX and partnerships, have kept the venture nimble and focused on solving core pain points.

THE RESULTS: Omondi and Kabra now lead a 35-person team operating across Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa. Since launching, BuuPass has sold over 16 million tickets, processed more than $102 million in gross merchandise value and onboarded 50 plus operators across Kenya, Uganda and South Africa. What began as a basement-born start-up now boasts a team of 35, integrations with Safaricom’s mobile money and Kenya Railways, and daily operations across 800 routes via 1 250 buses. A $1 million Hult Prize award put them on the map, and a follow-on investment from Tim Draper’s fund positioned the company for aggressive expansion into 15 East and Southern African countries. With over 2.5 million active customers and a cash-flow-positive model, BuuPass isn’t just digitizing tickets, it’s knitting together economies, empowering rural entrepreneurs and setting a new standard for transport and logistics in Africa. Wyclife’s vision now stretches beyond passenger travel to a pan-continental ecosystem that drives financial inclusion, spurs job creation and keeps Africa on the move.