BAZ BUS HISTORY

Baz Bus was lifted off the ground in November 1995 by Barry Zeidel, a qualified accountant, entrepreneur and retired backpacker. Barry had travelled around Europe as a backpacker on a similar concept. He was amazed at the benefits of the service and did not have to worry about the stresses of driving a car in a strange town. He was not stuck in a rigid itinerary and best of all he met many other like minded travellers.

When he came back to South Africa he did intensive research into backpacking around the country. South Africa did not have a developed infrastructure, especially in the form of public transportation, making it more difficult for backpackers to get around.

A passion for backpacking and a dedicated hard working team helped to create this unique transport network in South Africa. Today, Baz Bus is a leading force in the backpacking Industry. We now have 180 hostels along our route and we carry over 10 000 independent travellers on our buses each year!

OUR STAFF

Baz Bus team includes 37 permanent staff around the country. We offer intense in house training for all our staff, equipping them with high service levels to communicate with our guests.

Driver Sam with Some Passengers

OUR PASSENGERS

Our passengers come from all over the world and are encouraged to meet fellow passengers on board the bus and share travel stories. Our passengers' safety is our top priority. Passengers are never left unattended and are escorted by the driver into the backpacker hostel of their choice.

OUR BUSES

Baz Bus has a fleet of 19-seater semi-luxury buses, all with on-board TVs & videos and trailers capable of carrying surfboards and bicycles. Our friendly drivers keep passengers informed with basic route information. One of the buses carries a trailer of mountain bikes and is used for our 100% fun Cape Peninsula day tour.

OUR COUNTRY

Baz Bus is committed to promoting South Africa as a preferred backpacker's destination and recognizes the importance of intense international marketing to increase the flow of travelers to South Africa. Our well established transport network provides these travellers with a safe and reliable way to travel the country.

Sydney Backpacking Expo

OUR COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Baz Bus strives to be a proactive company involving ourselves in various community projects. Each year, Baz Bus visits different communities in need, in order to make a donation and provide an interactive fun day between those visited and the backpackers themselves. In the past few years we have supported community soccer teams in Hout Bay, a childrens shelter in Woodstock, a children's creche in Kensington, the Masikululeka children's crèche in the Joe Slovo township in Milnerton, and Wola Nani's community centre in Khayelitsha for women & children living with HIV/ AIDS.

In 2001, the Baz Bus sponsored our very own township soccer teams, the African Brothers and Baz Bus Celtics. At INDABA in May 2002, Baz Bus was awarded the best stand in the transport category by "Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa". Baz Bus qualified through its support of local community projects, in this case, a paper-making project in the Eastern Cape, where hand-made paper products were given to delegates visiting the stand.

Baz Bus also contributes to building AIDS awareness by distributing condoms to all the backpacker hostels on our route. For each condom distributed, a percentage contribution is donated to Wola Nani, a non-profit HIV/ AIDS community support service centre in Cape Town. You can support them by visiting: http://www.wolanani.co.za

Free transport is often given to a volunteer organisation to assist them with their projects.

Every year, to co-incide with our annual Baz Bus birthday bash, we visit a children's school or creche. In 2009, on the morning of our 13th birthday bash, we visited the Masikululeka creche in the Joe Slovo township in Milnerton. Besides handing out a cheque of R13 000 towards expansion of their school, we also arranged a clown to entertain the children and supplied lots of useful gifts, food and cooldrinks for the kids. On our 12th birthday we handed out a cheque of R12 000 to the Kensington Creche as well as providing entertainment for all the children.

The African Brother soccer team

Magic Show at Ons Plek Childrens home