BlaBlaCar
{{short description|Ridesharing website}}
{{about|the carsharing company|the 2022 film|BlaBlaCar (film)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Comuto SA
| logo = BlaBlaCar logo.svg
| native_name_lang = fr
| type = Privately held company
| founded = {{start date and age|df=yes|2006|09|16}}
| founders = Frédéric Mazzella
Francis Nappez
Nicolas Brusson
Nicolas Deroche
| hq_location_city = Paris
| hq_location_country = France
| area_served = Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Czechia, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, and United Kingdom
| services = Carpooling
| revenue = €250,000,000 (2023){{cite news|title=Voilà pourquoi BlaBlaCar refuse de se lancer aux Etats-Unis|language=fr|publisher=BFMTV|date=4 November 2015|url=http://bfmbusiness.bfmtv.com/entreprise/voila-pourquoi-blablacar-refuse-de-se-lancer-aux-etats-unis-927631.html |access-date=1 December 2017}}
| members = 100 million (2022)
| num_employees = 600
| website = {{URL|https://www.blablacar.com/}}
}}
BlaBlaCar is an online marketplace for carpooling headquartered in Paris. Its website and mobile apps connect drivers and passengers willing to travel together between cities and share the cost of the journey, in exchange for a commission of between 18% and 21%.{{cite news | title=BlaBlaCar is optimizing its service for small cities and has a new visual identity | url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/30/blablacar-is-optimizing-its-service-for-small-cities-and-has-a-new-visual-identity/ | first=Romain | last=Dillet | work=TechCrunch | date=30 January 2018}}{{cite news | title=How people build an unusually large sense of trust in services like Uber and Airbnb | url=http://www.businessinsider.com/why-people-trust-uber-airbnb-services-2016-12 | first=Mareike | last=Möhlmann | work=Business Insider | date=22 December 2016}}{{cite news | title=BlaBlaCar, a Ride-Sharing Start-Up in Europe, Looks to Expand Its Map | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/02/business/international/a-service-for-sharing-european-road-trips-looks-to-expand-its-map.html | first=MARK | last=SCOTT | work=The New York Times | date=2 July 2016 | url-access=subscription}} It also operates BlaBlaBus, an intercity bus service. The platform has 26 million active members and is available Europe and Latin America.{{Cite web | url=https://blog.blablacar.com/about-us | title=About Us | publisher=BlaBlaCar}}
The service is named for its rating scale for drivers' preferred level of chattiness in the car: "Bla" for not very chatty, "BlaBla" for someone who likes to talk, and "BlaBlaBla" for those who can't keep quiet.{{cite magazine| url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/blablacar |title=BlaBlaCar has turned ride-sharing into a multi-million-euro business |last=COWAN |first=MATT |date=14 April 2015 |magazine=Wired}}
File:BlaBlaCar Bus at Cologne Bonn Airport Bus Stop.jpg Bus Stop]]
History
In December 2003, Frédéric Mazzella wanted to travel from Paris to visit his family in the French countryside for Christmas but he did not own a car and the trains were fully booked. After his sister made a 150-kilometer detour to collect him, he noticed that most cars going in his direction did not have any passengers. During nights and weekends, he began working on creating a concept to address the issue. In 2006, he bought a website called Covoiturage.fr, French for "carpooling", created in 2004. By September 2008, it was the largest carpool website in France.{{Cite news | url=https://www.lexpress.fr/economie/high-tech/covoiturage-fr-veut-faire-sauter-les-freins-du-partage-de-voiture_1385656.html |title=Covoiturage.fr veut faire sauter les freins du partage de voiture | trans-title=Covoiturage.fr wants to break the brakes on car sharing | work=L'Express |date=12 September 2008 | language=fr}}
In June 2011, it introduced BlaBlaCar.com in the United Kingdom.{{Cite news | url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/06/29/need-a-ride-carpooling-platform-blablacar-launches-in-the-uk/ | title=Need a ride? Carpooling platform Blablacar launches in the UK | first=Roxanne | last=Varza | work=TechCrunch | date=29 June 2011}}
In June 2012, an online reservation service was added to Covoiturage.fr.{{Cite news | url=https://www.lexpress.fr/economie/high-tech/pourquoi-covoiturage-fr-est-devenu-payant_1395565.html | title=Pourquoi Covoiturage.fr est devenu payant | trans-title=Why Covoiturage.fr became paying | first=Ludwig | last=Gallet | work=L'Express |date=10 August 2012 |language=fr}} The web service put in place its business model and began to make profits. It was also a way to attract drivers and to reach the critical mass. Between July and November, Comuto expanded to Italy, Portugal, Poland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}
In April 2013, BlaBlaCar was launched in Germany.{{Cite web | url=https://business.lesechos.fr/entrepreneurs/internationaliser-exporter/dossiers/10029034/10029024-allemagne-blablacar-une-equipe-dediee-sur-place-28096.php | title=Allemagne/Blablacar : Une équipe dédiée sur place | trans-title=Germany/Blablacar: A dedicated team on site | work=Les Echos (France) |date=15 May 2013| language=fr}} Covoiturage.fr was re-branded BlaBlaCar.fr.{{Cite news | url=https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/document.cfm?doc_id=46223 | title=Exploratory study of consumer issues in online peer-to-peer platform markets | work=European Commission | date=February 2017}}{{Cite news | url=https://blog.blablacar.com/blog/inside-story/fun-and-serious | title=Fun & Serious | work=BlaBlaCar}}{{Cite news | url=https://blog.blablacar.fr/blablalife/nouveautes/nouveautes-blablacar/covoituragefr-devient-blablacar | title=Covoiturage.fr devient BlaBlaCar | trans-title=Covoiturage.fr becomes BlaBlaCar | work=BlaBlaCar | language=fr-FR | archive-date=2017-10-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003224706/https://www.blablacar.fr/blablalife/nouveautes/nouveautes-blablacar/covoituragefr-devient-blablacar | url-status=live}}
In January 2014, BlaBlaCar was introduced in Ukraine and Russia.{{Cite news | url=https://blog.blablacar.fr/blablalife/nouveautes/blablacar-dans-le-monde/blablacar-lancement-russie-ukraine | title=BlaBlaCar arrive en Russie et en Ukraine | work=BlaBlaCar | date=21 January 2014 |language=fr-FR | archive-date=29 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129140436/https://www.blablacar.fr/blablalife/nouveautes/blablacar-dans-le-monde/blablacar-lancement-russie-ukraine |url-status=live}} As of June 2024 BlaBlaCar is still offering its services in Russia.Leave Russia https://leave-russia.org/blablacarBlaBlaCar website https://support.blablacar.com/hc/en-gb/articles/5838581893149-Where-is-BlaBlaCar-available
In September 2014, the service had 10 million users.{{Cite news |title=Covoiturage: Blablacar passe le cap des 10 millions de membres | trans-title=Carpooling: Blablacar passes the milestone of 10 million members | url=https://www.challenges.fr/automobile/actu-auto/covoiturage-blablacar-passe-le-cap-des-10-millions-de-membres_14627 |website=Challenges |date=9 September 2014 |language=fr}}
In January 2015, BlaBlaCar expanded to India. The company bought multiple competitors, including Carpooling in Germany,{{Cite news |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2015/04/15/blablacar-rachete-l-allemand-carpooling_4616017_3234.html |title=Blablacar rachète son principal concurrent européen | trans-title=Blablacar acquires its main European competitor | newspaper=Le Monde |date=15 April 2015 |language=fr}} Autohop in eastern Europe, and Rides in Mexico, expanding to Latin America.{{Cite news | url=https://blog.blablacar.in/blablalife/whats-new/blablacar-opens-in-mexico | title=BlaBlaCar rides into Mexico! | work=BlaBlaCar}}
In April 2017, a long term rental service was offered to the best drivers.{{Cite news | url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/2017/04/05/32001-20170405ARTFIG00124-blablacar-propose-des-voitures-neuves-a-ses-meilleurs-chauffeurs.php |title=BlaBlaCar propose des voitures neuves à ses meilleurs chauffeurs | trans-title=BlaBlaCar offers new cars at its best |work=Le Figaro |date=5 April 2017 | language=fr-FR}} It was the result of a partnership with the constructor Opel and ALD Automotive, specializing in long term rental.
On 2 May 2017, BlaBlaLines, an application for daily carpool, was launched in France.{{cite news | url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/02/blablacar-unveils-blablalines-a-new-app-for-daily-commutes/ | title=BlaBlaCar unveils BlaBlaLines, a new app for daily commutes | first=Romain | last=Dillet | work=TechCrunch | date=2 May 2017}}
In 2017, the company closed its offices in India, Turkey and Mexico. Executives said they had spent too much and hired too aggressively in those territories. Overall, the company has become far more diversified in terms of geography. While 75% of its users were in France in 2015, by 2021 the company reported that 80% of its riders were outside of France and 60% were outside of Europe.{{Cite web | title=15 Years Of BlaBlaCar: Nicolas Brusson Talks Global Ambition, Course Corrections, And The Road Ahead | url=https://frenchtechjournal.com/15-years-of-blablacar-nicolas-brusson/ | website=The French Tech Journal | date=20 October 2021}}
In 2021, bus seats represented 20% of all bookings on the BlaBlaCar platform.
Acquisition
In April 2021, the company acquired Octobus, a Ukrainian company that develops software for bus operators to manage their finances and ticket sales.{{Cite news | url=https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/french-blablacar-acquires-octobus-to-digitize-local-bus-operators.html | title=French BlaBlaCar acquires Octobus to digitize local bus operators | first=Daryna | last=Antoniuk | work=Kyiv Post | date=22 April 2021}}
In March 2023, the company acquired Klaxit, a French startup enabling carpools on work commutes.{{Cite news | url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/15/blablacar-to-acquire-klaxit-a-ride-sharing-service-for-daily-commutes/ | title=BlaBlaCar to acquire Klaxit, a ride-sharing service for daily commutes | first=Romain | last=Dillet | work=TechCrunch | date=15 March 2023}}{{Cite news | url=https://www.phocuswire.com/BlaBlaCar-looks-acquire-Klaxit-boost-French-carpooling | title=BLABLACAR LOOKS TO ACQUIRE KLAXIT, BOOST FRENCH CARPOOLING | first=DEREK | last=CATRON | work=PhocusWire | date=16 March 2023}}
In November 2018, BlaBlaCar announced the purchase of long-distance coach operator Ouibus from SNCF. As part of the transaction, SNCF became a shareholder in BlaBlaCar.{{Cite news | url=https://www.railwaygazette.com/news/business/single-view/view/sncf-to-sell-ouibus-to-blablacar-in-multimodal-partnership.html | title=SNCF to sell Ouibus to BlaBlaCar in multimodal partnership | work=Railway Gazette International | date=13 November 2018}} Ouibus was rebranded BlaBlaBus and BlaBlaCar also raised $114 million from SNCF and previous investors.{{Cite news | title=BlaBlaCar buys French bus service, raises $114 million | url=https://venturebeat.com/transportation/blablacar-buys-french-bus-service-raises-114-million/ | first=Chris | last=O'Brien | work=VentureBeat | date=12 November 2018}} In 2019, BlaBlaCar acquired Russia's largest bus booking platform, Busfor.{{Cite news |title=BlaBlaCar to acquire Busfor amid European mobility upheaval |url=https://venturebeat.com/business/blablacar-acquire-russia-busfor-amid-european-mobility-upheaval/ | first=Chris | last=O'Brien | work=VentureBeat |date=24 September 2019}}
In April 2018, the company acquired Less, which launched four months earlier.{{Cite news | url=https://venturebeat.com/transportation/blablacar-acquires-french-urban-carpooling-startup-less/ | title=BlaBlaCar acquires French urban carpooling startup Less | first=Paul | last=Sawers | work=VentureBeat | date=27 April 2018}}
Funding
In 2009, the company raised €600,000 from the founders and their friends and family.
In June 2010, Comuto raised €1.25 million from ISAI run by Jean-David Chamboredon.{{Cite news |url=https://www.itespresso.fr/le-fonds-isai-croit-au-potentiel-de-covoituragefr-35558.html | title=Le fonds ISAI croit au potentiel de Covoiturage.fr | trans-title=The ISAI fund believes in the potential of Covoiturage.fr| first=Philippe | last=Guerrier | work=ITespresso.fr |date=15 June 2010 |language=fr-FR}}{{Cite news | url=https://blog.blablacar.com/blog/inside-story/vanity-sanity-reality | title=Vanity :( Sanity :Reality :) | work=BlaBlaCar}}
In January 2012, Comuto raised €7.5 million from Accel Partners, ISAI and Cabiedes & Partners to develop its activities in Europe.{{Cite news |url=https://www.frenchweb.fr/exclu-covoiturage-leve-75-millions-euros-60130 |title=[Exclu] Covoiturage.fr lève 7,5 millions d'euros | trans-title=[Excluded] Covoiturage.fr raises 7.5 million euros | last=Moreau |first=Marion |work=FrenchWeb.fr |date=17 January 2012 |language=fr-FR}}
In July 2014, BlaBlaCar raised US$100 million from Index Ventures.{{Cite news | url=https://www.journaldunet.com/web-tech/start-up/1140919-blablacar-leve-100-millions-de-dollars-pour-devenir-le-leader-mondial-du-covoiturage/ |title=BlaBlaCar lève 100 millions de dollars pour devenir le leader mondial du covoiturage |date=2 July 2014 |language=fr}}{{Cite news | url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/07/01/blablacar-raises-a-massive-100-million-round-to-create-a-global-ride-sharing-network/ | title=BlaBlaCar Raises A Massive $100 Million Round To Create A Global Long Distance Ride-Sharing Network | first=Romain | last=Dillet | work=TechCrunch | date=1 July 2014}} In September 2015, the company raised US$200 million, primarily from Insight Venture Partners, in a round that valued the company at $1.6 billion.{{cite news | url=https://archive.nytimes.com/bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/09/16/blablacar-a-french-ride-sharing-start-up-is-valued-at-1-4-billion/ | title=BlaBlaCar, a French Ride-Sharing Start-Up, Is Valued at $1.6 Billion | last=Scott | first=Mark | work=The New York Times | date=16 September 2015 | url-access=limited}}{{cite news | title=BlaBlaCar Is Raising $160 Million From Insight, Valuing Ride-Sharing Startup At $1.2 Billion | url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/09/08/blablacar-is-raising-160-million-from-insight-valuing-ride-sharing-startup-at-1-2-billion/ | first=Romain | last=Dillet | work=TechCrunch | date=8 September 2015}}{{Cite news | url=https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/nouvelle-levee-de-fonds-de-200-millions-de-dollars-de-blablacar.N350758 |title=Nouvelle levée de fonds de 200 millions de dollars de BlaBlaCar | trans-title=
New fundraising of $200 million from BlaBlaCar | work=L'Usine nouvelle |date=16 September 2015 | language=fr-FR}}
In April 2021, BlaBlaCar raised $115 million.{{Cite press release | url=https://blog.blablacar.com/newsroom/news-list/blablacar-announces-a-115m-funding-to-boost-its-growth-ambitions | title=BlaBlaCar announces a $115M funding to boost its growth ambitions | publisher=BlaBlaCar | date=20 April 2021}}{{Cite news |last=Menze| first=Jill |title=BlaBlaCar raises $115M to expand carpool and bus services |url=https://www.phocuswire.com/blablacar-raises-115-million-to-expand-carpool-and-bus-services | work=Phocuswire | date=20 April 2021}}{{Cite news | url=https://skift.com/2021/04/21/startup-blablacar-raises-115-million-for-long-distance-carpooling-and-bus-travel/ | title=Startup BlaBlaCar Raises $115 Million for Long-Distance Carpooling and Bus Travel | first=Sean | last=O'Neill | work=Skift | date=21 April 2021}}
Critics
In March 2022, BlaBlaCar announced the suspension of investments in its Russian subsidiary due to the geopolitical situation. The company halted all financial flows between its headquarters and the Russian unit, isolating the Russian operations from the rest of the company and ceasing all development plans in the country. Despite these measures, BlaBlaCar's Russian platform continues to function under the independent management of its local team, maintaining existing services for users.{{Cite web |title=BlaBlaCar suspends financing for Russian subsidiary, but it will continue operations |url=https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/76393/ |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=interfax.com}}