BlaBlaCar

Whether you're looking to save money on gas, reduce your carbon footprint on the environment, or simply get the advantages that come from a car without having to worry about the overhead costs involved, BlaBlaCar can provide you with a reasonable alternative. BlaBlaCar takes many of the principles behind services like Uber and Lyft and brings them to Europe as well as many other countries like Turkey, India, and Mexico. Unlike these other companies, which treat the drivers as contractors and assign fixed rates for all of their trips, BlaBlaCar gives drivers more control over how they monetize their experience. This allows them to establish what their time is worth rather than rely on the demands of a corporate overlord, and the ability for drivers to choose their passengers at a whim creates an experience that's more social than purely transactional. Also unlike the more prominent car share services, BlaBlaCar lets the drivers set the pickup and drop off locations as well as the routes taken. This makes it a great choice for travelers who are looking to get to popular destinations, but due diligence is more of a necessity. The combination of differing routes and different rates can create exceedingly different costs for what's essentially the same path. But the ability to pick the driver gives passengers more leverage in how much they spend as well as the type of vehicle they'd like to take to their destination. This level of customization is one of the key values of the BlaBlaCar experience, and it's further enhanced by carpool preferences that riders can set up before they ever step into a vehicle. You can pick a driver based on their chattiness and the level of music they play in their car, and you can also filter out drivers according to whether or not they smoke and let pets ride in their vehicles. All of this is handled through the inclusion of simple icons. In situations like these, communication is important, and BlaBlaCar provides the tools for facilitating that. Creating an account puts a variety of options in your hands. You can communicate with them according to the in-app chat interface and also reach them by phone. This is critical, as the peculiarities of the BlaBlaCar experience typically require a lot more coordination than more typical ride sharing services. It's unlikely that BlaBlaCar will overthrow Uber and Lyft as a convenient alternative to traditional taxi cabs, but it doesn't need to. The company has carved out a niche for themselves that make them a great choice for travelers looking to immerse themselves in the local experience. Passengers can meet people who live where they're traveling, practice their foreign language skills, and learn more about the world around them. Part and parcel with this is the more detailed profile system which encourages users to fill out detailed information on themselves. BlaBlaCar is less about getting from point A to point B and more about creating memorable experiences during the journey.