BuuPass Partners SafariBucks to Enable Cross-Border Travel Payments in Africa

BuuPass,  a Kenyan travel-booking technology company, is expanding its payments capabilities through a partnership with Nairobi-based digital wallet provider SafariBucks , as it broadens its services beyond ticketing into corporate and cross-border travel.

The partnership will allow travellers to use SafariBucks to pay for BuuPass bus tickets, flights and transfers, with payments processed through local payment networks. The integration is also expected to support travellers moving between African countries by providing a payment option that can be used across different markets.

For corporate customers, SafariBucks’ Spend Management solution will be integrated with BuuPass’ Gavanpass platform. The setup will allow companies to fund employee travel and manage related expenses and tax reporting across multiple currencies.

BuuPass launched Gavanpass in April 2026 as part of its expansion into corporate travel. The platform enables businesses to book flights, hotels, buses, ground transfers and group travel while providing approval workflows and real-time monitoring of travel spending.

Sonia Kabra, co-founder and co-CEO of BuuPass, said the company had identified payments as a major challenge in African travel despite having built infrastructure for travel distribution. She said the SafariBucks partnership would help address that challenge, particularly within the company’s growing corporate travel business.

Founded in 2016, BuuPass provides booking and travel management infrastructure for buses, trains and flights through its platform and APIs. Its services cover inventory management, bookings, payments and reporting across online and offline channels.

The company currently operates in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa and works with more than 150 transport operators. Its payment integrations include services such as M-PESA, MTN MoMo, First National Bank and Vodapay.

SafariBucks will provide the cross-border payment infrastructure while BuuPass continues to manage the underlying travel inventory. The arrangement means an international traveller can load a SafariBucks wallet before arriving in a destination and use it to pay for eligible BuuPass services through local payment channels.

The partnership also targets corporate travel teams that need to manage spending across multiple currencies. SafariBucks will consolidate the payment component, while Gavanpass will continue to provide access to travel inventory and corporate booking tools.

Ali Hassan, co-founder and CEO of SafariBucks, said the partnership is intended to reduce some of the payment challenges travellers face when moving across East African borders, including access to local payment methods and currency-related costs.

The agreement follows BuuPass’ wider expansion across African markets. In 2024, the company acquired South Africa- and Nigeria-focused bus ticketing platform QuickBus in a cash-and-stock transaction. BuuPass later said it had sold more than 30 million tickets and processed over $100 million in travel transactions during 2025.

The two companies are also positioning the partnership ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be hosted jointly by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. They expect increased movement between the three countries to create an opportunity to apply the combined travel-booking and payment infrastructure at scale.

Under the planned model, SafariBucks would support payment services for travelling fans, while BuuPass would facilitate transportation between host cities and match venues. The partnership therefore combines travel inventory with cross-border payment capabilities as BuuPass seeks to strengthen its position in Africa’s increasingly connected travel market.