The South Africa’s fleet management firm, GoMetro, has been selected for a $191,000 grant from the UK Freight Innovation Fund to accelerate its plans of introducing electric maritime transportation.

The startup which was founded by Justin Coetzee in 2014, is a B2B SaaS fleet management company that is provides an OEM-agnostic electrification management platform for bus and truck operators, thereby leading to decarbonisation.

Late last year, GoMetro had $11.5 million Series A funding round to help it further develop its platform in its key markets, and with the new grant, is looking to a new course in maritime transportation.

“The grant will be used to finance a six-month trial with leading UK logistics companies Maritime Transport and Welch’s Transport to implement GoMetro’s EV-FIT solution for electric vehicle (EV) fleet transformation and the GoMetro Bridge fleet management software platform,” said Coetzee in a statement.

“The grant is an amazing validation for GoMetro in the UK freight market, and implementing our solution with major logistics players is an incredible opportunity to show how our software platform can help fleet owners achieve better results,” Coetzee added.

He further stated that with its trial partners, GoMetro will be collecting and analysing fleet movement data for a chosen UK depot, from which they will identify critical vehicle and infrastructure specification needs.

Kenyan auto-tech startup, BuuPass, has announced the expansion of its Bus Management System (BMS) to new operators in a bid to further enhance transparency and operational efficiency for bus companies in the country.

Founded in 2016 by the duo of Sonia Kabra and Wyclife Omondi, BuuPass has grown from a B2B2C mobility marketplace to become a leader in digital ticketing and transportation management solutions 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.

“What we are witnessing is nothing short of a digital renaissance in bus operations. Our Bus Management Service isn’t just a tool—it’s the future of this industry,” said Kabra, who doubles as the CEO of the company.

“So far, BuuPass has sold over 16 million travel tickets and generated over US$100 million in total value of goods sold, while it has also taken part in the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa and been backed by the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund. It also acquired counterpart QuickPass earlier this year.

“The BuuPass BMS is designed to address the most pressing challenges faced by bus operators. At its core, the system enhances transparency and control by providing real-time visibility into all aspects of operations, from ticket sales to route performance.

“Among the newly enrolled operators are Abuya, Abandu, Shoreline, and Bin Ibrahim, serving crucial routes such as Nairobi-Garissa, Nairobi-Moyale, Nairobi-Busia, Mombasa-Busia, and Mombasa-Kitui.

“To ensure smooth integration, BuuPass provides these operators with scanning devices, computers, and digital printers, along with comprehensive training for their staff on system usage,” she said.