11 Interesting Facts About BlaBlaCar You Probably Didn't Know
(Wikimedia Commons)
(Wikimedia Commons)
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(Patrick Kovarik | AFP/Getty Images)
(Lionel Bonaventure | AFP/Getty Images)
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(GoEuro | Wikimedia Commons)
(Patrick Kovarik | AFP/Getty Images)
It Serves 21 Countries
As of 2018, BlaBlaCar is available in 21 countries. Most of the countries are in Europe, such as Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland, Poland, the United Kingdom, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, and Slovakia. BlaBlaCar has also expanded its services to cover some nations outside of Europe, such as India, Turkey, Mexico, and Brazil. Most of the international expansion by BlaBlaCar occurred through acquisitions of ride-hailing companies in other countries.
It Serves 21 Countries
As of 2018, BlaBlaCar is available in 21 countries. Most of the countries are in Europe, such as Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland, Poland, the United Kingdom, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, and Slovakia. BlaBlaCar has also expanded its services to cover some nations outside of Europe, such as India, Turkey, Mexico, and Brazil. Most of the international expansion by BlaBlaCar occurred through acquisitions of ride-hailing companies in other countries.
It Is One Of Europe's Largest Startups
As the tech revolution expands across Europe, BlaBlaCar is leading the charge. For Europeans, BlaBlaCar is viewed to be equal to other tech heavyweights in Europe such as Skype, Spotify, and Yandex. The company is considered to be one of the largest startups in France and in Europe. In 2015, it was valued at around $1.6 billion, which means that BlaBlaCar is also considered to be a unicorn company. As of 2018, it is France's only unicorn company.
It Won't Expand To The United States
People in the United States who would like to use BlaBlaCar are out of luck. The company will not expand to the United States. In a way, the United States is perfect for BlaBlaCar before the market is large and the public transportation system is weak. However, the company has some major concerns with the United States, First, gas can be really inexpensive in the United States. More importantly, cities in the United States are too far from each other.
A Christmas Experience Sparked The Creation Of BlaBlaCar
Frédéric Mazzella, the founder of BlaBlaCar, used to work as a scientist. He wanted to travel across France on Christmas to see his family one year, but the trains were full, and he lacked a car. With no transportation options, his sister picked him up and drove him to see his family. During the long trip, Mazzella noticed that many cars did not have passengers. This entire incident inspired Mazzella to create a carpooling service that became BlaBlaCar.
The Name Refers To Chatty Drives And Passengers
The name for BlaBlaCar might seem random, but there is actually a good meaning behind it that relates to the service. When users select a driver and a car, they can choose how chatty they want the ride to be. There are three options: "bla" means a quiet driver, "blabla" means a driver who is slightly chatty, and "blablabla" refers to drivers who can be really chatty. This distinction makes BlaBlaCar stand out above the rest of the ride-hailing competition.
BlaBlaCar's Big Break Was A Train Strike
BlaBlaCar first emerged as a major service in France during the 2007 train strike. People needed to find an alternative form of transportation during the strike, and BlaBlaCar saw a surge in popularity. In 2018, another train strike forced passengers to turn to BlaBlaCar again. BlaBlaCar doubled its passengers since the start of the 2018 strike. The company has a history of capitalizing during periods when other forms of transportation have been shut down. In 2009, its popularity in Iceland increased after a volcanic explosion grounded airplane service.
The Company Gets Bigger And Bigger
BlaBlaCar has expanded to 600 employees to handle its growing number of members. 60 million people worldwide are members of BlaBlaCar. About 18 million members depend on the service at least once per quarter. The most popular country that uses BlaBlaCar is France, where one in five adults are members. BlaBlaCar's revenue exceed $73 million annually. Most of the 600 employees are at the company headquarters in France, with other employees scattered throughout the world.
It Predates Uber
Most people credit Uber as the first major ride-hailing app, but BlaBlaCar beat them to it. BlaBlaCar was formed in 2006 and Uber was formed in 2009. The company also became the largest ride-hailing service in France in 2008. Although BlaBlaCar was officially founded in 2006, it can also trace its roots all the way back to the original domain name of Covoiturage.fr that launched in 2004. In fact, BlaBlaCar predates Lyft, which was formed in 2012.
The Company Insists It Is Different Than Uber
Despite some similarities with ride-hailing app Uber, BlaBlaCar is very different in nature. It strictly sticks to the sharing economy mantra by following a few guidelines. First, the company serves passengers traveling between cities instead of within a city. More importantly, the drivers do not earn a profit. Drivers who are already headed in the same direction as passengers are compensated for fuel and basic wear and tear. BlaBlaCar charges passengers a percentage for the ride.
It Signed A Contract With GoEuro
In 2016, BlaBlaCar signed a contract with GoEuro, a travel metasearch engine that is used for comparing transportation prices. GoEuro is in 12 European countries, including France, where it is integrated with BlaBlaCar. In fact, BlaBlaCar is the first ride-hailing service to form a partnership with GoEuro. It might seem odd that a ride-hailing app would join forces with a travel search engine, but it is actually a great example of synergy in the business world.
BalBlaCar's Main Language Is English
Although BlaBlaCar is a proud of its original French heritage, the company did not make French its official language. The main language for BlaBlaCar is actually English. As the company expanded across Europe — and eventually throughout the world — English was seen as more of a universal language. To make this easier and more uniform, BlaBlaCar designated English as the company's official language. Users have the option to customize the language in the app.
