In a move to strengthen its offerings for ground travel operators, Busbud, a global ground travel booking platform, has acquired Ratality, an award-winning provider of revenue management optimization software based in South Africa. By integrating Ratality’s expertise, Busbud’s Business Suite will be enhanced with advanced features such as demand forecasting, dynamic pricing, fleet and driver management, and solutions tailored for the charter and rentals industry. This acquisition not only broadens Busbud’s value proposition, making it a complete solution provider for operators worldwide, but also builds upon an existing partnership between the companies and extends Busbud’s reach in Africa. Busbud Business Suite offers a comprehensive suite of B2B services to ground travel operators, empowering them to manage their operations more efficiently and expand their online sales. Trusted by over 350 partners worldwide, the Business Suite has facilitated the sale of hundreds of millions of tickets to date. It encompasses a wide range of features, including: – Flexible payment and language options – Configuration in 16 countries, catering to a diverse operator base, including 4 of the top 5 in South Africa – Support for both large and small operators – Distribution of inventory to worldwide marketplaces within the Busbud Group’s network, such as Busbud (global), Buson (Brazil), Recorrido (Chile), and other third-party marketplaces, attracting hundreds of millions of visitors annually. “Uniting with Busbud expands the reach of our platform to bus operators around the world,” said Arend de Waal, CEO & Co-founder of Ratality. “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, maximizing revenue and operational efficiency.” “This is a very special partnership that will add a key missing piece to our growing B2B offering,” said LP Maurice, CEO & Co-founder of Busbud. “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”. The addition of revenue management capabilities to the Business Suite is a significant step towards offering a best-in-class software platform tailored to the unique needs of ground travel operators. Ratality’s revenue management capabilities unlock new levels of efficiency and economics for operator partners. A South African-based operator experienced remarkable results: a 73% increase in passengers, a 76% improvement in seat factor (SF%), a 37% increase in revenue, and a 32% rise in revenue per kilometer (RPK) from November 2023 to February 2024. Other key benefits include: – Improved profitability through optimized pricing and inventory management – Increased efficiency through automated processes and analytics – Enhanced customer satisfaction through tailored offerings and improved service levels This acquisition underscores Busbud’s commitment to providing a comprehensive range of solutions to ground travel operators, enabling them to thrive in today’s dynamic market. By leveraging Ratality’s expertise in revenue management, Busbud is well-positioned to become the preferred partner for operators worldwide, empowering them to maximize their revenue and operational efficiency.
Busbud Enhances Business Suite with Ratality Acquisition, Empowering Ground Travel Operators
