Tech

Canadian travel platform Busbud acquires SA’s Ratality

Published

7 months ago

May 24, 2024

Canadian ground travel booking platform, Busbud, has announced the acquisition of South Africa’s Ratality in a bid to enhance its revenue management capabilities.

Ratality, a provider of revenue management optimisation software for ground travel operators 2017, is a cloud-based software solutions provider that seamlessly allows ground transportation operators to digitally manage their operations and optimise revenues.

Arend de Waal, CEO and co-founder of Ratality, who made the announcement in a statement, said joining forces with Ratality will enable Busbud to broaden its value proposition to become a complete solution provider for operators worldwide.

“The acquisition builds upon an existing partnership between the companies and extends Busbud’s reach in Africa,” de Waald said.

“Uniting with Busbud expands the reach of our platform to bus operators around the world.

“Our innovative revenue management solutions generate immediate ROI for our partners and have already been proven in other travel sectors like airlines.

“Overall, this combination unlocks untapped potential for bus operators, maximising revenue and operational efficiency,” he added.

Also commenting on the acquisition, CEO and co-founder of Busbud LP Maurice, said the partnership with Ratality would add a key missing piece to Budbud’s growing B2B offering.

“We’ve heard first-hand from ground travel operators the tangible results they’ve achieved by using Ratality to generate more revenue for their businesses.

“We were extremely impressed by the technology and capabilities of their platform. It just really made sense to bring Ratality’s team of revenue management experts on board and integrate these features further into our core B2B platform.

“We wanted these capabilities to be in the hands of all of our operator partners worldwide. We have been partnered with ground travel operators for more than a decade and thrive on their success. We are excited to keep innovating together with Ratality for years to come for the benefit of our operator partners.”

Ratality offers solutions across buses, coaches, ferries, charters, tours, and transfers, as well as many other types of ground transportation operators and is a fully integrated, multi-modal management solutions allow operators to better manage their fleets through advanced demand forecasting, dynamic pricing, revenue management, and fleet management among many other sought-after features.

Related Topics:Acquisition Featured Busbud Ratality Travel Operators

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Tech

20 African tech-preneurs embark on Korean innovation tour

Published

8 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The African Development Bank Group’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab has selected 20 promising tech entrepreneurs from various African technology ventures and enterprise support organisations to embark on a two-week study tour of the Republic of Korea, with the aim of seeking investment and insights from the country’s innovative tech ecosystem.

The selected entrepreneurs are from 133 ventures that participated in last month’s Africa Tech Startup Forum.

The forum which will hold under the auspices of the lab’s “Leveraging the Entrepreneurial and Innovation Success of Korea to Strengthen African Enterprise Support” project, had selected entrepreneurs who pitched the best business models during the week-long virtual market access and acceleration programme preparing, training, and connecting technology ventures with opportunities.

The 20 young tech-preneurs were selected from eight African countries including Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda, with the delegates spanning various sectors in the technology space.

While in Korea, the African delegates will pay visits to prestigious institutions such as Global Startup Centre, LG Science Park, the Korea Software Technology Association, and the Global Digital Innovation Network.

Speaking on behalf of the delegates, founder of Kenya-based health technology venture Zuri Health, Uche Ezadinachi said:

“I am excited to go to Korea because the country has made serious technological developments. The country is a technology-driven society, and this tour is an opportunity for me to see how we can bring such technology to Africa.

“We will share experiences with our Korean counterparts; they will learn from us as much as we learn from them,” he added.

Tech

Kenya’s ticketing startup BuuPass partners Flexpay for flexible travel payments

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Kenyan digital ticketing startup, BuuPass, has entered into a partnership with goal-based savings platform, Flexpay, to offer customers flexible payment plans ahead of holiday travels as well as simplify travel planning and ease the financial burden of holiday travel for Kenyans.

Co-founder and CEO at Buupass, Sonia Kabra, who unveiled the package at a press conference, said the collaboration between the two platforms will allow travellers to save for their journeys in manageable, interest-free installments over four to 12 weeks.

“Travelers can select their travel dates, book tickets, and pay a small deposit upfront, with the remaining balance spread across weekly or monthly payments,” she said.

“This approach offers a stress-free way for families and large groups to secure their tickets early, helping them avoid last-minute price hikes as fares are locked in.

“By partnering with Flexpay, we’re giving travelers the flexibility to budget for their trips in advance. This initiative aligns with our mission to make travel accessible to everyone, providing a solution that meets customers where they are financially,” said Kabra.

Also speaking at the event, Richard Machomba, CEO and founder of Flexpay, said:

“Flexpay’s mission is to empower individuals by providing accessible financial solutions that make it easier for them to achieve their financial goals.

“By partnering with BuuPass, we’re making travel more accessible and stress-free for Kenyans, especially during the holiday season when expenses can be overwhelming,” Machomba added.

Founded in 2016 by Kabra and Wyclife Omondi, BuuPass is a B2B2C mobility marketplace that enables users to search, compare, and book travel tickets via web, app, or USSD, while its SaaS platform helps bus operators manage their operations, inventory, and sales.

FlexPay, on the other hand, is an online and offline payment gateway that allows merchants to offer interest-free targeted savings to their customers in Africa.