Revolutionizing African Travel: BuuPass Partners with SafariBucks

Kenyan travel-booking startup BuuPass has announced a strategic partnership with digital wallet provider SafariBucks to streamline cross-border payments across the continent. This integration addresses a critical pain point in African travel – fragmented payment systems – and positions BuuPass as a comprehensive solution for both leisure and corporate travelers.

The collaboration allows users to pay for flights, buses, and transfers through SafariBucks’ digital wallet, leveraging local payment rails for seamless transactions. For businesses, the integration extends to BuuPass’ corporate travel platform Gavanpass, enabling centralized funding and tax reporting across multiple currencies.

“We’ve spent eight years building distribution for African travel,” stated Sonia Kabra, co-founder and co-CEO of BuuPass. “Customers consistently tell us payments are the bigger challenge—this partnership closes that gap without requiring users to change how they pay.”

Addressing Key Travel Challenges

The SafariBucks integration tackles several common issues faced by African travelers:

  • Cross-border payment friction: Tourists often encounter difficulties using foreign cards or cash in different countries.
  • Payment fragmentation: Multiple platforms and methods create a disjointed experience for users.
  • Corporate travel management complexity: Businesses struggle with tracking expenses, handling multiple currencies, and ensuring tax compliance across regions.

With this partnership, inbound tourists can load SafariBucks wallets before arrival, while those traveling between African countries can use the same wallet throughout their journey. Local travelers benefit from familiar payment options through existing mobile money platforms like M-PESA and MTN MoMo.

Expansion Beyond Ticketing

The BuuPass-SafariBucks partnership underscores BuuPass’ evolution beyond a simple ticketing platform. The company has been expanding into corporate travel with Gavanpass, which offers features like approval workflows and real-time spend tracking.

“This is particularly impactful for the corporate segment, our fastest-growing business today,” added Kabra.

The move follows BuuPass’ acquisition of QuickBus in 2024, further strengthening its distribution network across Nigeria and South Africa. The company has already processed over $100 million in travel transactions and sold more than 30 million tickets to date.

Preparing for Major Events

The partnership is strategically timed ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. With millions expected to travel between host cities, BuuPass and SafariBucks aim to provide a seamless payment experience for fans.

“We’re removing friction end to end,” explained Ali Hassan, CEO of SafariBucks. “From the moment someone lands in Nairobi to when a finance team tracks expenses across multiple currencies—it’s all integrated.”

The companies are positioning this solution as a model for how technology can transform travel experiences and facilitate greater economic integration across African markets.