*As seen in The Logbook
Bushride Travel was founded in May 2017 by Kangwa Bwalya. Also, famously called “Kay”, he is a man with over ten years of experience in this industry having climbed through the ranks from staff member to boss.
Starting out, he worked as a waiter for three years between 2005-2007 with Robin Pope Safaris in South Luangwa National Park. He then went to the city to pursue accountancy, graduated with Licentiate in 2009 and went straight back into Tourism as Assistant Accountant at Norman Carr Safaris. He then progressed on to Croc Valley as Accounts & Admin Manager. Currently he is the Company Accountant for Flatdogs Camp while also running Bushride as the MD. Working with him are 4 junior staff members and 2 directors including himself.
The love for the bush is what drove Kay to build his own business. And, having encountered the challenges clients have in finding a reliable and legally operating car rental business in Zambia at large, he decided to bring this service to their door step.
“Many clients would have ended up hiring a vehicle from South Africa for Safari and road trips in Zambia which is impractical,” Kay says, “But if you’re in Zambia you just cannot find a good, reliable company to hire from and this is where Bushride comes in.”
WHAT THE CLIENT CAN EXPECT
Kay explains that most people rent the 4x4s for anywhere between 3 days to 3 weeks. This includes driving on road and on rough, rugged terrain only suitable for off road vehicles. Due to this the cars are kept in pristine condition and undergo regular checks and maintenance after every 5000 km.
“Over and above this,” Kay says, “We also offer advice on where they can camp along their journey and tailor-made packages for mobile safaris in Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Botswana. These are custom built around our client with Andrew, our Professional Safari Guide to journey with them.”
RELIABILITY AND RELATIONSHIPS
The details are important to Kay and there are some fundamentals that his business is based around. Reliable cars that are fully serviced and cleaned, professional drivers and guides, flexible rental periods, 24/7 support service, comprehensive vehicle and passenger insurance and modern GPS for all vehicles.
“And the most important are the relationships,” he adds, “It’s the future of the business. We believe in the importance of first impressions. Creating and building customer relation is the most important marketing tool in this business. Everything else is secondary.”
ADDRESS: Bushride travel PO Box 81 Mfuwe Zambia
TELEPHONE NUMBER:+260 967 914 151
EMAIL: info@bushride-travel.com
WEBSITE: http://www.bushride-travel.com/
VEHICLES AVAILABLE:
4×4 SUV, Saloons, 4×4 Full camping equipped with rooftents and Game viewers.
PRICE. Transfers $20.00-$332.00 per person. Groups get preferential rates
Day rental $150.00- $200.00 per day. 5 and more days get preferential rates
