• Agenda
  • Initiatives
  • Reports
  • Events
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Leadership and Governance
    • Our Members and Partners
    • Communities
    • History
    • Klaus Schwab
    • Media
    • Contact Us
    • Careers
    • World Economic Forum USA
    • Privacy and Terms of Use
  • EN ES FR 日本語 中文
  • Login to TopLink

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated Cookie Notice.

I accept
    Hamburger
  • World Economic Forum Logo
  • Agenda
  • Initiatives
  • Reports
  • Events
  • About
  • TopLink
  • Search Cancel

Digital Transformation

  • Digital Platforms & Ecosystems
  • Automotive
  • Aviation & Travel
  • Chemistry & Advanced Materials
  • Consumer
  • Electricity
  • Healthcare
  • Logistics
  • Media
  • Mining and Metals
  • Oil & Gas
  • Professional Services
  • Telecommunications
  • Digital Consumption
  • Digital Enterprise
  • Societal Implications
  • Introducing Digital Value to Society
  • Maximizing Return on Digital Investments
Digital Transformation   BlaBlaCar
Home
Digital Transformation   BlaBlaCar
Home
Digital Transformation Home
  • Report Home
  • Digital Platforms & Ecosystems
  • Automotive
  • Aviation & Travel
  • Chemistry & Advanced Materials
  • Consumer
  • Electricity
  • Healthcare
  • Logistics
  • Media
  • Mining and Metals
  • Oil & Gas
  • Professional Services
  • Telecommunications
  • Digital Consumption
  • Digital Enterprise
  • Societal Implications
  • Introducing Digital Value to Society
  • Maximizing Return on Digital Investments

BlaBlaCar

Share

Extending members access to one another’s passenger seats during long-distance rides

Key facts

  • BlaBlaCar¹ is a world leading long-distance city-to-city ridesharing community. It connects people seeking to travel with drivers who are already planning to take the same route. They travel together and split the costs of the journey. Drivers do not earn a profit.
  • By filling empty car seats, BlaBlaCar is optimizing car usage and creating a new affordable and friendly long-distance transport solution.

Uniqueness

  • BlaBlaCar targets long-distance trips, whereas other popular ridesharing services focus on local, short-distance journeys.
  • Trust is a critical factor for BlaBlaCar, which is building a trusted community of members. Experience levels are defined based on a combination of criteria such as profile completion, peer-to-peer ratings and membership length.
  • A ‘Ladies Only’ option is included to provide a greater sense of security for female users.

Value

  • Series D funding of €200 million qualifies BlaBlaCar as a ‘unicorn’ with a valuation of €1.4 billion (Investors include Accel Partners, Index Ventures, Insight Venture Partners, ISAI, Lead Edge Capita and Vostok New Ventures).
  • Operating in 20 countries (including Mexico, Russia, India and Brazil) with more than 20 million members.
  • An estimated one million tons of CO2 saved by BlaBlaCar members over the past two years.
  • Average car occupancy is 2.8 people (versus the average in Europe of 1.6).
  • Over 15 million app downloads.

Approach

  • Drivers with empty seats are matched with travelers looking for a ride. Booking and payment is pre-arranged online or via the mobile app, so all that is required of the parties is to arrange a meeting place and travel together.
  • Core to its success were the creation of ‘trust tools’ and a lean user experience on both mobile and laptop.
  • BlaBlaCar expanded across Europe early on, by ‘acqui-hiring’ and building local teams. In 2014 it also acquired a large competitor, Carpooling.com, and its six million members.

Footnote
Sources: www.blablacar.com; TechCrunch; WEF/Accenture Analysis


BlaBlaCar is one of more than 100 case studies identified as part of the World Economic Forum’s Digital Transformation of Industries initiative. An overview of the DTI program can be found here.

Back to Top
Subscribe for updates
A weekly update of what’s on the Global Agenda
Follow Us
About
Our Mission
Leadership and Governance
Our Members and Partners
The Fourth Industrial Revolution
Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Communities
History
Klaus Schwab
Our Impact
Media
Pictures
A Global Platform for Geostrategic Collaboration
Careers
Open Forum
Contact Us
Mapping Global Transformations
Code of Conduct
World Economic Forum LLC
Sustainability
World Economic Forum Privacy Policy
Media
News
Accreditation
Subscribe to our news
Members & Partners
Member login to TopLink
Strategic Partners' area
Partner Institutes' area
Global sites
Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Open Forum
Global Shapers
Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
EN ES FR 日本語 中文
© 2021 World Economic Forum
Privacy Policy & Terms of Service