BlaBlaCar

BlaBlaCar is a French travel platform that started as a carpooling marketplace. Frédéric Mazzella founded it in 2006 as Covoiturage.fr, and it was later renamed BlaBlaCar. Drivers with empty seats share the cost of a trip with passengers heading the same way. The operating company Comuto SA is registered in Paris, and BlaBlaCar says it serves 40 million members a year in 41 countries.

Features

• Carpooling for long distances, with the driver setting a cost share and meeting points
• BlaBlaCar Bus, a bus network in Europe built on the 2019 acquisition of Ouibus, plus a marketplace of bus operators
• Train tickets since 2024 through connected operators

Ownership and limits

BlaBlaCar is a private company financed by venture capital and debt, and it bought a majority stake in the Turkish coach booking platform Obilet in 2024. The platform charges a booking fee on carpool seats in many markets. Offers depend on drivers, so quiet routes and times can have few rides, and the quality of bus and train supply differs by country.