A Kenyan online platform for reviewing and buying bus tickets in Africa has completed a seed round.
Beyond ticketing, QuickBus lets users review and rate experiences on bus travel platforms, Wamda reports. They are currently in operations in Kenya, Uganda, and Angola, and have secured partnerships in seven countries. Routes available on the platform include Nairobi to Kampala, and Mombasa to Nairobi.
The round was led by Shorooq Partners, a venture fund based in the United Arab Emirates. Other firms that participated include Nigeria’s Echo VC and Oman Technology Fund (OTF). The amount raised was undisclosed, according to Wamda.
QuickBus promises to provide Africans “the most uncomplicated and hassle-free booking experience by booking your tickets in just a few clicks.” Users can pay for bus trips on the platform via one of three options: credit card, mobile money and internet banking.
Humphrey Wrey, the startup’s CEO, says they have worked closely with bus operators, and processed at least $40,000 worth of tickets between February and May 2019.
The Nairobi-based startup joins a nascent African long-distance mobility space which has a “massive potential,” according to Kunal Savjani, partner at Shorooq Partners. Savjani says they had been “actively studying the East African market to see who was leading the way” in the sector based on trends from other emerging markets.
A young startup with barely any media mentions, QuickBus says it has partnered with leading tech companies like Visa, Stripe, Mpesa and automobile giant Mercedes. Wrey is an EQ fellow, an initiative of Mercedes Benz. He leads a team that lays claims to “over ten years of executive experience in online bus sales.”
Shorooq partners invests in seed-stage ventures run by entrepreneurs in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, per their website.
