Each few weekends, 21-year-old scholar Lavanya Jain opens the BlaBlaCar app to discover a elevate from Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi to his dwelling in Kandhla, a small city in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state. The 120-kilometer journey prices him about ₹500, the equal of about $6. That’s a fraction of the ₹1,500–₹2,000, or $17–$23, he would pay for a non-public cab.
“If you’re looking for a fast, efficient, affordable, and comfortable way to travel — and you like to chat — you should basically check out BlaBlaCar,” Jain instructed TechCrunch, including that he has used the app some 40 to 50 occasions over the previous two years.
Jain is one among thousands and thousands of Indians turning to long-distance carpooling as a less expensive, extra social strategy to journey between cities. That surge has made India the corporate’s largest market worldwide, with an estimated 20 million passengers this yr — up nearly 50% from a yr earlier. Based mostly on that forecast, BlaBlaCar’s India market would surpass the 18 million passengers projected in Brazil and its dwelling market of France.
For an organization that shut its India workplace in 2017 after poor traction, the turnaround is putting.
Progress has come largely with out advertising and marketing or an area workforce, pushed as an alternative by phrase of mouth, increasing cellular web entry, and the rise of digital funds and automobile possession amongst India’s center class.
India is dwelling to greater than 700 million smartphone customers and has seen a pointy rise in digital funds, which now account for over 99% of all transactions within the nation.
On the heart of that shift is the Indian government-backed Unified Funds Interface (UPI) system, which processed about 19.6 billion transfers value round ₹24.9 trillion (roughly $284 billion) in September alone. Automotive gross sales have climbed in tandem, reaching 4.73 million automobiles in 2024, up from 3.87 million a yr earlier — a 5.2% year-on-year improve and an all-time excessive.
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Different elements behind BlaBlaCar’s fast development in India embody the nation’s restricted public transport capability relative to its over 1.4 billion inhabitants, and the regular enlargement of street infrastructure that’s enhancing connectivity between smaller cities, rural areas, and main cities.
“We have lots of examples from users who say, ‘Before, I was flying to a destination or taking the train or not going at all — and now I can actually drive. It takes three hours, and it’s a pleasant ride,’” stated Nicolas Brusson, co-founder and chief govt of BlaBlaCar, in an interview.
BlaBlaCar first entered India in early 2015, establishing an area workplace in New Delhi. The corporate quickly confronted stiff competitors from Uber and native rival Ola, each of which have been experimenting with carpooling companies and advertising and marketing them closely. (The businesses would ended up suspending these carpooling companies in the course of the COVID-19 lockdowns.)
Struggling to achieve traction, BlaBlaCar withdrew its native workforce in 2017. Nonetheless, the app remained stay — and in 2022, utilization started to surge once more. Since then, it has skyrocketed from 4.3 million customers in 2022 to a projected 20 million this yr.
BlaBlaCar has averaged about 1.1 million month-to-month energetic customers in India this yr, peaking at round 1.5 million in August. Roughly three-quarters are passengers, whereas the remaining 25% are drivers. India now accounts for about 33% of BlaBlaCar’s international carpool passengers, the corporate stated.
Journey-wise, BlaBlaCar recorded its strongest development in India, with 13.5 million journeys accomplished as of September 30, up from 9.1 million throughout the identical interval final yr. Brazil remained barely forward, with 14 million journeys this yr in contrast with 11.7 million in 2023, whereas France ranked third with 5.6 million journeys, broadly flat from a yr earlier.
“For us, the center of gravity has shifted away from our initial markets in Western Europe toward places like Japan, Turkey — and increasingly, India,” Brusson instructed TechCrunch.
Though BlaBlaCar doesn’t but generate income from India, drivers on its platform earned round ₹713 million (about $8 million) in August alone, the corporate stated. On common, drivers earn about ₹390 (roughly $4) per seat in India, with a mean journey distance of 180 kilometers (about 112 miles).
By comparability, common driver earnings are about €15 (round $17) in France and roughly €6.5 (roughly $7) in Brazil, regardless that journey distances are broadly related in India and Brazil and shorter than France’s common of about 250 kilometers (roughly 155 miles). The distinction, BlaBlaCar stated, displays decrease native buying energy and cost-sharing expectations in India.
Practically 70% of BlaBlaCar’s Indian customers are between the ages of 18 and 34, and about 95% of exercise takes place by way of its cellular app. Roughly half of all rides in India happen alongside the nation’s 15 busiest intercity routes, whereas the opposite half comes from outdoors the highest 150 corridors — proof of rising adoption past main metros and into smaller cities. Among the many busiest routes are Pune–Thane and Pune–Nashik in Maharashtra, Bengaluru–Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh, and several other others linking mid-sized city facilities.
“No hurry” to start out monetization
Regardless of all this development, BlaBlaCar shouldn’t be trying to allow monetization in India anytime quickly.
“We are in no hurry to start introducing a fee or generating revenue in India. We are focused on generating usage, and we have the playback because we’ve done that in several markets,” Brusson instructed TechCrunch.
Nonetheless, BlaBlaCar plans to arrange its native workplace in India and have the primary rent by the tip of this yr or early subsequent yr, Brusson stated.
BlaBlaCar doesn’t view ride-hailing platforms comparable to Uber and Ola as its opponents in India. Brusson described them as “demand-led” merchandise, whereas BlaBlaCar, he stated, is “supply-led.” As an alternative, the corporate sees individuals driving their very own vehicles — or choosing available trains and buses — as its essential substitutes.
Challenges on its strategy to success
BlaBlaCar nonetheless faces some challenges in India.
State laws round carpooling are ambiguous, which has introduced the service underneath scrutiny in some cities. Some customers, together with Jain, have complained that it may be tough to achieve BlaBlaCar’s buyer help, which frequently replies with automated messages. The corporate instructed TechCrunch it operates a “blended model,” with an outsourced native workforce dealing with most day-to-day queries and a smaller group at its Paris headquarters managing advanced points and high quality checks.
BlaBlaCar launched an ID Verify characteristic in India to confirm customers’ identities by way of government-issued paperwork — a software it later rolled out globally. Nonetheless, TechCrunch discovered that customers can nonetheless e book or publish a journey even when their ID test is incomplete.
“This is a deliberate design choice to make it easier for new members to engage with the platform,” the corporate stated in response. “ID verification is just one part of our broader trust and safety framework; we don’t rely on a single feature, but on multiple, layered mechanisms that work together to build confidence within our community.”
The corporate added that greater than 70% of journeys in India are made with drivers who’ve accomplished authorities ID verification. BlaBlaCar additionally shows person critiques and scores and verifies accounts by way of telephone numbers and electronic mail addresses.
“We actively encourage members to complete all verification steps, as fully verified profiles — with photo and ID — significantly increase the chances of finding carpoolers. Profiles lacking these elements tend to receive fewer bookings,” the corporate stated.
Some BlaBlaCar customers in India additionally report frustration when drivers or passengers cancel journeys on the final minute, typically even after reaching the assembly level. Moreover, the app lacks a stay location–sharing characteristic, which Jain famous limits BlaBlaCar’s use for these attempting to e book rides on behalf of members of the family or pals.
BlaBlaCar has tailored its product to raised go well with Indian customers, introducing options comparable to “meeting-point logic” to make coordination simpler. In contrast to in international locations comparable to France, the place designated carpooling zones exist, India lacks fastened pickup areas. Drivers and passengers usually agree to satisfy at handy spots alongside the route — a petroleum station, for example, or close to a freeway exit. The app now suggests and shows these places utilizing a mixture of machine-learning algorithms and person enter, serving to cut back detours and align with India’s on-the-ground infrastructure, the corporate stated.
Globally, BlaBlaCar expects to achieve about 150 million passengers this yr, together with customers of its bus companies, which function in markets comparable to France however aren’t but obtainable in India. As BlaBlaCar broadens its international footprint, India’s surprising rise has positioned it on the coronary heart of the corporate’s subsequent part of development.
