Popular ridesharing app launches in India to #EndTravelHassle – BlaBlaCar

On Jan 15, 2015

The world’s largest city-to-city ridesharing app, ‘BlaBlaCar’, is launching its service in India at the Indian Digital Summit2015, organized by the IAMAI (Internet and Mobile Association of India).

BlaBlaCar connects people looking for a city-to-city travel solution with car owners going in the same direction, so that they can travel together and share the cost of their journey. The name is a play on how chatty members are (when filling in their profile, members are asked to specify their level of chattiness on the scale “Bla”, “BlaBla” and “BlaBlaBla”).

The popular, people-powered, transport network already connects overtwo million people every month around the world for shared journeys. With its young, highly connected population, and multiple major urban hubs separated by long distances, India has great potential for ridesharing. Chronically overcrowded transport infrastructure forces travellers to book their train or bus ticket weeks in advance, while the high price of fuel makes long distance car travel often unaffordable. By connecting co-travellers so they can share long journeys, BlaBlaCaraims totransform city-to-city travel in India, making itboth available and affordable. The launch will see a country-wide Twitter campaign around the hashtag#EndTravelHassle.

Co-Founder and COO, BlaBlaCar, Nicolas Brusson said, “BlaBlaCar harnesses the power of digital connections to deliver a simple, smart, sustainable solution to city-to-city travel.”

The Transport Department – Govt of NCT of Delhi has stated that, “Car driving is expensive and eats out a great share of your monthly budget. Carpooling saves money and reduces congestion.”

Part of the rising “sharing economy”, BlaBlaCar is a friendly sharing community, designed to connect regular people to share their long journeys; it is not an on demand or a professional driving service. Price per co-traveller is limited to a partial contribution towards the cost of the journey, and does not allow the car owner to make a profit (the platform makes a distance-based price recommendation that is fair and transparent for both parties).

Members choose whom they travel with thanks to members’ online public profiles, which can only be created through a Facebook account. At the end of a shared journey, members rate each other, building their reputation in the community. A dedicated member relations team also moderates member activity and feedback7 days a week.

Raghav Gupta, Country Manager, BlaBlaCar India said, “With the limited capacity of public transportation and last minute travel options in India,BlaBlaCar offers an affordable, friendly, and efficient alternative. BlaBlaCar creates a unique space for car owners and co-travellers to get to know each other and make an informed choice about whom they want to travel with. For India’s 100 million Facebook users and 160 million plus smartphone users, this is a travel revolution.”