Busbud Accelerates Latin American Expansion By Acquiring Brazil Buson
Following November’s purchase of Chile’s Recorrido, Busbud now boasts over 600 Latin American bus operator partnerships and thousands globally. The team swells to 225 worldwide.
Founded in 2013 as Guiche Virtual, Buson operates an online marketplace for booking intercity bus travel across Brazil, coupled with operator solutions like e-commerce and inventory software. Under Busbud’s wing, Buson’s operations continue uninterrupted under co-founder Thiago Carvalho’s leadership, while gaining access to Busbud’s global bus route inventory.
“Joining this global force grants us deeper resources to propel our expansion,” stated Carvalho. Busbud seeks to leverage Buson’s grasp of Brazilian travel behavior to capture market share.
Busbud itself, launched in 2011 by CEO LP Maurice and co-founders Michael Gradek and Frédéric Thouin, enables searching and booking over 3 million bus routes worldwide across 4,000 companies spanning 80 countries and 17 languages.
Post-pandemic layoffs catalyzed Busbud’s evolution beyond bus bookings into trains, rideshares, and shuttle services. This realignment was fueled by a $15 million Series C from Canadian backers like the Business Growth Fund.
Brazil represents the world’s third-largest bus transit market, with 59% of its leisure and tourism journeys by bus. “We share an ambition to revolutionize ground transport through innovation across the Americas and globally with aligned product suites,” affirmed Maurice.
Busbud’s acquisition binge heats up on the heels of a $14 million equity round last November explicitly earmarked for its LatAm blitz. Buson joins Recorrido and Toronto’s Betterez as the latest members of Busbud’s rapidly consolidating mobility empire.
