Democratising mobility
across Africa
Buslyft was built by South Africans, for South Africans — to end the fragmentation, expense and danger of getting around. Our tagline is three words: Move freely.
25 000+
Drivers earning on platform
8
Cities live
3.2M+
Rides and fare comparisons
1 840 t
CO2 saved vs. driving
380 000+
Registered users
12
Transport verticals
Our mission
Every South African deserves to move freely
South Africa has one of the most complex transport landscapes in the world. Minibus taxis carry 65% of all commuters yet remain informal and often unsafe. BRT and rail infrastructure exists but is fragmented and hard to navigate. Ride-hailing is expensive relative to average income. Getting from A to B safely and affordably is genuinely hard — especially if you don't own a car.
Buslyft was built to fix that. We are building the operating system for African mobility — a super-app that unifies every mode of transport, makes every ride transparent and safe, and creates real economic opportunity for the hundreds of thousands of drivers who form the backbone of South African public transport.
Rider-first design
Every screen is built around the needs of the everyday South African commuter, not the affluent urban minority.
Driver empowerment
Fair earnings, NLTA compliance support, vehicle financing, and on-platform training — drivers are partners, not contractors.
Greener cities
Mode shift from private cars to shared transport is the fastest path to lower urban emissions in South Africa.
Founding story
Built from frustration, driven by purpose
Isaac Havilah grew up watching South Africa's transport system fail millions of people daily — overcrowded taxis with no schedules, buses that didn't show up, and ride-hailing apps priced for tourists rather than residents. In 2021, he started building a solution.
The first version of Metaride was built in six weeks: a simple price comparison across Uber and inDriver. Within months, thousands of Johannesburg residents were using it to pick the cheaper ride. The insight was clear — South Africans needed transparency, not just convenience.
From that seed grew a vision: a single platform that would handle every mobility need in a South African life. Rides, commutes, parcels, food delivery, vehicle finance, charter buses, school transport — unified, safe, and built to work on a R20 data bundle or a feature phone via USSD.
The team that built Buslyft came together around that mission. Fadzai Havilah joined to build the financial backbone that would let the platform scale sustainably. Emmanuel Mubika brought the operational rigour to onboard thousands of drivers and launch in city after city. Igtishaam Newkirk-Marinus built the safety architecture that makes every Buslyft trip safer than a random street hail.
Today Buslyft operates 12 transport verticals across 8 South African cities. We have never lost sight of the founding purpose: to make it possible for every South African — wherever they live, whatever they earn — to move freely.
"The taxi industry built South Africa's cities. We exist to give it the technology it deserves."
— Isaac Havilah, Founder & CEO
Milestones
Our journey so far
The idea that became Buslyft
Isaac Havilah, frustrated by the fragmented, expensive and unsafe state of South African mobility, begins designing a super-app that would connect every mode of transport under one platform — from minibus taxis to BRT, to ride-hailing, to vehicle finance.
First product ships: Metaride
Metaride launches as a fare-comparison engine for ride-hailing — letting South Africans see Uber, inDriver, and Buslyft prices side by side before booking. The product earns early traction in Johannesburg with zero paid marketing.
Platform expansion — 6 verticals live
Buslyft expands aggressively: BuslyftRides (on-demand rides), BuslyftCommute (corporate and daily commute), AutoMovil (vehicle marketplace), FlytEats (food delivery), and BuslyftCharter (group transport) are added to the platform. Fadzai Havilah joins as CFO.
Safety, compliance and NLTA alignment
Igtishaam Newkirk-Marinus joins as Head of Safety. Buslyft becomes one of the first South African mobility platforms to build NLTA compliance tooling directly into driver onboarding. The CrowdSecure community safety network launches.
National expansion — Durban, PE, Pretoria
Emmanuel Mubika joins as COO. Buslyft launches in Durban, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), and Tshwane. BuslyftConnect (corporate WiFi on buses) and BuslyftParcel (last-mile parcels) go live. Metaride crosses 250 000 registered users.
The mobility super-app — 12 verticals
Buslyft operates 12 integrated transport verticals. The platform now handles millions of fare comparisons, hundreds of thousands of rides, and serves corporates, universities, and individual commuters across South Africa. The journey to democratise African mobility continues.
The team
Leadership
Four people, one mission: to transform African mobility from the ground up.
What we stand for
Our values
Safety First
Every product decision starts with a safety question. NLTA compliance, driver verification, in-app SOS, and CrowdSecure are not add-ons — they are the foundation.
Community
Buslyft exists to serve South African communities. We prioritise local employment, B-BBEE partnerships, and products built for how South Africans actually travel.
Innovation
We build technology that solves real African problems — not copies of Western mobility products. From USSD booking to NFC commuter passes, we meet users where they are.
Access
Mobility should not be a privilege. We are committed to affordable rides, student passes, SASSA-linked wallets, and connectivity in underserved transport corridors.
Sustainability
Mode shift from private cars to shared transport is one of the most impactful climate actions urban SA can take. We measure, report and celebrate every kilogram of CO2 saved.
Move freely.
The Buslyft tagline. And a promise.
The platform
12 transport verticals
One app. Every way to move.
Fare comparison across all ride-hailing apps
On-demand rides with NLTA-compliant drivers
Daily and corporate commute management
Buy, sell, rent and finance vehicles
Group and event transport
Food and grocery delivery
Same-day last-mile parcel delivery
In-vehicle WiFi for buses and taxis
Short-term student & professional accommodation
CrowdSecure community safety network
Multi-modal journey planning across all modes
Safe, trackable school transport
Our commitment
South Africa first
We are not a foreign company extracting value from SA's transport market. We are a proudly South African business, built here, operated here, employing South Africans, and committed to the regulatory and social frameworks that make SA work.
NLTA-first compliance
All Buslyft drivers and operators are onboarded against National Land Transport Act requirements. We have built South Africa's most thorough driver compliance tooling.
B-BBEE partnership
Buslyft actively pursues B-BBEE Level 1 and Level 2 partnerships in all verticals, prioritising black-owned operators, suppliers and technology partners.
Local employment first
Every job created by the Buslyft platform — driver, operator, support agent, and technology role — is a South African job. We do not offshore operations.
POPIA-compliant data
All user data is stored and processed in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act. We do not sell personal data and encrypt all user records.
Township route investment
We actively expand into underserved township corridors where formal transport options are thin — Soweto, Khayelitsha, Inanda, Tembisa, Mamelodi and more.
Press
In the media
Buslyft takes on Uber with full-stack SA mobility super-app
Metaride fare comparison crosses 2 million searches
AutoMovil brings Tesla-style digital car buying to South Africa
The startup building a unified ticket for every SA transport mode
Press kit & media assets
Logos, product screenshots, founder photos, and key stats.
Build the future of African mobility
We are looking for engineers, product designers, city operations managers, driver experience leads, and safety specialists who believe mobility is a right, not a luxury.