Money saving apps: BlaBlaCar, the carpool app

Everybody knows driving is often the most convenient way to travel, and ordering a lift on your mobile is an easy alternative if you don’t drive.

What we spend less time thinking about is how wasteful (not to mention expensive) it is to travel around in cars all the time when most of the seats are empty.

Step forward BlaBlaCar. In the next installment of our Money Saving Apps series we take a look at BlaBlaCar, the carpool app, and explore what it is, how it works, and how it can help you share rides and split the cost of travel.

What is BlaBlaCar?

BlaBlaCar is a carpool app that encourages drivers with spare seats to connect with fellow travellers who are going their way, as well as helping passengers get to where they need to go in a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly way.

Available to download from the app store and Google Play store, the app allows you to search for journeys in your area, connect with drivers who are also going that way, and grab a space in the car for a reasonable price.

The principle is simple. The cost of driving a car from A to B is £100, whether there’s one person in the car or four. Instead of footing the entire bill by yourself, why not find three more people going to the same place and split the cost four ways?

What problem does a ride sharing app like BlaBlaCar solve?

The problem BlaBlaCar was set up to solve begins and ends with empty car seats. Many of us love the convenience of owning a car. In the UK we don’t have the best weather, and public transport can be expensive, so driving is the easiest way of getting from A to B.

That part is easy to understand. What a lot of us don’t understand fully is the impact that short car journeys can have on both the environment and our wallets – especially when most of the seats in our car remain empty.

According to BlaBlaCar’s own stats, 75-80% of long-distance travel in Europe is done by car, but with an average occupancy rate of only 1.9 people, most cars still have at least three seats left empty.

That’s another three people who could be helping share the environmental impact of that car journey and, even more importantly for many people, helping you share the cost.

This is where BlaBlaCar excels. By allowing people to hop on the website or app and search for the journey they’re about to take, they help you connect with drivers in your area, find a ride that’s going your way, and save money by splitting the bill with the other passengers in the car.

How does BlaBlaCar work?

BlaBlaCar is both an app and a website. You can use either to create an account, type in an address or journey, and connect with a driver that’s going your way.

Once you have your account set up, BlaBlaCar works in one of two ways. If you’re a passenger, you simply type in where you’re leaving from, where you’re going to, and when, and find a ride at a price that suits you.

Much like finding a flat on Airbnb, you can find a reliable driver on BlaBlaCar using user reviews, leave reviews yourself to boost the credibility of the driver you’ve used, and even message your driver before a ride to make sure they have all the information they need.

BlaBlaCar isn’t just aimed at passengers. If you’re a driver who regularly has spare seats on your journeys, you can register with the site, use the BlaBlaCar contribution model to come up with a fair price per seat for your journeys, and get a little help with your petrol money.

Will I have to pay for BlaBlaCar?

The service that BlaBlaCar provides is the ride itself. Much like with Uber or Lyft, the BlaBlaCar app is completely free to download from the Play Store or App Store, but you will have to pay for the service – getting where you need to go.

When you download the BlaBlaCar app, creating your account is also free, and will allow you to view live journeys, scout out routes, and hitch rides in cars that are nearby and going in your direction.

When it comes to the journey itself, BlaBlaCar drivers will only charge you for the cost of the journey (this will include a cut that goes to the company). The price of the ride is calculated with the specific objective of preventing people profiting from carpooling.

Unlike in an Uber, for example, you won’t be expected to tip the driver, and the fee you’ll pay will cover your share of the fuel, space, plus a little extra for vehicle maintenance. Put simply, you’ll pay enough to cover the cost of your journey, and nothing more.

How will BlaBlaCar help me save money?

While getting you from A to B is the primary objective, BlaBlaCar is also a lot more cost effective than getting a taxi, an Uber, or even driving yourself.

BlaBlaCar was founded on the principle that too many individuals are over-utilising their cars, while underutilising the space in those cars. Although most vehicles have 5 available seats, the average car occupancy in most countries around the world is 1.5 seats per car.

That’s why BlaBlaCar operates a carpool model where you hitch a lift in an existing car journey and pay for your seat, rather than your journey.

While the cost of the ride depends on the length of the journey, Using BlaBlaCar will save you a small fortune compared with a taxi, and even some forms of public transport. A seat in a BlaBlaCar from Manchester to London might cost you £20 on BlaBlaCar, whereas the same journey on a train might cost you anywhere between £50 and £80.