“
I can't imagine not using this app for my travels anymore
! ". Like 20 million French people, Cassandra is a fan of BlaBlaCar. This 27-year-old woman from Versailles first and foremost consults the carpooling platform before planning her long-distance trips. Every time she organizes a trip, for her vacation or for a weekend, it's the same ritual: she opens her application. "
I first glance at Blablacar hoping to find what I'm looking for
" explains the young woman.
Carpooling is on the rise in France. For about fifteen years, the platforms which connect a driver and a passenger have multiplied. Klaxit, Karos or even Mobicoop, there are now around twenty operators sharing the cake. But the lion's share goes to BlaBlaCar, which passed the milestone of 100 million users worldwide at the end of October, and enjoys a virtual monopoly on the long-distance carpooling market in France. With the increase in fuel prices, its activity has taken off again since the summer. "
Our overall performance is better than 2019. Compared with July 2021, the publications of journeys by drivers in September and October increased by 45%
", welcomes
Le Figaro.
Nicolas Brusson, co-founder and general manager of the unicorn made in France.
To read also "I save 150 euros per month": they adopted carpooling to go to work
Economical and practical trips
The platform, which has 40,000 new registrants every week in France, mainly appeals to young workers. According to the company, the average age of its members is 30 years, while 60% of the population of 18-35 years in France has opened an account there. How to explain this adhesion of young workers? First argument invoked, obviously, the possibility of making savings for travelers who, in their majority, are not of the required age to benefit from the reduced fares of the SNCF. Drivers see it as a way to make their trip profitable; passengers to travel cheaply. Cécile, 31, has favored this mode of transport for several years when going on vacation with her spouse. "
We crossed France by carpooling, for the price of a single train ticket. I also remember a Caen-Clermont Ferrand train ride at € 75 per head, the price of a carpooling for two at the time,
”she recalls.
In addition to the economic argument, carpooling between individuals offers a more complete territorial network than that offered by the train, for example. And makes life easier for travelers who do not come from large cities. Lucas, 21 and a student in an engineering school in Switzerland, who regularly drives BlaBlaCar user groups between Paris and Lausanne, notes that “
there are many regions between the French Jura and Switzerland that are poorly served by train or in which it is very difficult to find good timetables from Paris.
"
What, also, push users to travel off the beaten track. “
If it
(the train)
brings us closer to our destination, we still have many kilometers to travel when we have to go to a more isolated place. Blablacar is an alternative that is both much less expensive and sometimes more suited to our journeys
”summarizes Cassandra. “
The application not only allows me to make trips for which the car is essential, but it also has a real impact on my choice of destinations,
” notes Cassandra. Same story for Robert, 26 years old and regular driver on the platform: “
It is clear that I would have borrowed the car much less often if BlaBlaCar did not exist, and in fact, traveled much less
”he explains.
Carpooling is no longer just a matter of money, but also a practical matter.
Nicolas Brusson, co-founder and CEO of BlaBlaCar
Read alsoFuel prices, subsidies ... More and more French people are adopting carpooling on a daily basis
The end of the golden age?
If we can blame the application for a form of democratization of travel, some users believe that BlaBlaCar takes advantage of its virtual monopoly position to impose its conditions. Cécile, yet faithful to the platform, wonders about its evolution: “
I will continue to use Blablacar, even if the system displeases me a little today. I find the site commissions for each passenger to be very heavy.
At
the time when we
(she and her spouse) were
traveling in pairs, it was fine to make only one reservation, we paid twice the booking fees
”she laments.
Pascale, 56, even chose to stop using BlaBlaCar due to certain conditions imposed on drivers: “
The original mindset has been hijacked. The carpooling side where everyone wins is no longer there, especially for drivers. For a Paris - Caen, the algorithm suggested a price of only seven euros. We also waste time dropping people off halfway.
[…]
I have the feeling that we are taken for a service provider,
”she regrets.
The train, faster but more expensive, carpooling, less expensive but longer: in order to combine the advantages of different modes of transport, some users do not hesitate to juggle. “
The train and BlaBlaCar couple works very well
,” says Cassandra.
Users will also regularly offer a station as a meeting point, which is easily identifiable and often in the city center.
This practice is well known to the French platform, which intends to launch by 2023 a service allowing to book directly on its application a train journey associated with carpooling. "
We observe that 10 to 15% of carpools leave or arrive from train stations,"
says Nicolas Brusson.
We want to eventually manage the first and last kilometer by covering the entire territory.
“A daring bet, but well underway for the company, closely linked to SNCF since 2019 and the entry of the railway company in its capital.
Read alsoPay drivers instead of passengers: how Rouen wants to encourage carpooling
Undeniable friendliness
There remains one point, however, that the train will not be able to fly “carpool”: its user-friendliness.
As the average BlaBlaCar journey is around 280 kilometers, the moments of meeting people and socializing are a plus in the event of a long trip.
"
It's nicer to be in a car than in a train or a plane, or even a bus full of people
" explains Fara.
I have traveled with artists and very often the car turns into a concert hall after a few minutes.
Robert, 26 years old and BlaBlaCar user since 2013
Sometimes, great encounters are the result. “
Once, a passenger forgot her phone charger at home. She had a very important date the next morning and couldn't do without her phone. As it was late, I offered to give him my charger because all the stores were closed. We have become close and we update each other regularly
! Lucas remembers. Or even crisp anecdotes. "
My car has undergone full searches and its passengers interrogations pushed at the Swiss customs, which obviously and fortunately led to nothing
, says Robert.
A posteriori it is always a "fun" experience for everyone, at least, it enlivens family meals.
. "
So, for new adventures, by car!
Is carpooling really cheaper than the train?
Cheaper ridesharing trips: is this really the case in practice?
To find out,
Le Figaro
simulated online reservations for two different journeys (Paris-Lyon and Nantes-Bordeaux) on the same date (November 20, 2021) and via four different means of transport (BlaBlaCar, TGV OUIGO, TGV INOUI and FlixBus).
This simulation was carried out on November 9, 2021, eleven days before the departure date.
We have chosen the cheapest route for each platform chosen.
The cheapest way to connect Paris and Lyon is to climb in a TGV Ouigo (13 €), however, the place of departure is not advantageous (Marne-la-Vallée Chessy, forty minutes by transport from the station of Lyon).
The same BlaBlaCar journey, for 20 euros, leaves from Carrières-sur-Seine (thirty-nine minutes by transport from Gare de Lyon), which is also not practical when you want to leave from Paris itself.
Finally, the trip by FlixBus, which costs only 7.99 euros and leaves from Paris-Bercy, takes six hours and twenty minutes (compared to only one hour and forty-seven minutes for the TGV OUIGO).
Here, the OUIGO trip is the most economical in time and money
(
one hour and forty-seven minutes
against four hours and forty minutes for a BlaBlaCar trip).
On the other hand, the journey between Nantes and Bordeaux gives BlaBlaCar the advantage: for
18 euros
(against a minimum of 37 euros in TGV OUIGO and 106.40 euros in TGV INOUI), it is possible to book a journey of one duration of
three hours and forty minutes
, against a minimum of four to five hours by train or bus (including each time a connection).
Here, the BlaBlacar route has an economic advantage and a considerable time saving
.
Paris - Lyon, November 20, 2021
BlaBlaCar | TGV OUIGO | TGV INOUI | Car FlixBus | |
Minimum price (adult without reduction) | 20 € | 13 € | € 38 | € 7.99 |
Travel time | 4:40 | 1h47 | 2h01 | 6:20 a.m. |
Nantes - Bordeaux, November 20, 2021
BlaBlaCar | TGV OUIGO | TGV INOUI | Car FlixBus | |
Minimum price (adult without reduction) | € 18 | € 37 | € 106.40 | € 7.99 |
Travel time | 3h50 | 4:12 | 5:17 | 4h50 |