BlablaCar is a carpooling service that connects drivers with other folks looking for a lift in the same direction. It’s free to join at BlablaCar.com, and once you’ve registered (and it only takes about a minute to do so) you can publish your request for a carpool and get in touch with people who make the same trips as you.
If you’re a driver, you can publish your trip and contact other members who make the same trips as you by sending them a message or calling them directly on the phone. If you’re a passenger, you can search the site and contact drivers who have published trips that are of interest to you. If you don’t find a trip that interests you, you can always publish your trip and have other members contact you.
The service is totally free with recommended fixed prices per passenger. You can choose to pay via the online booking or directly in the car. Once you’re a member, you’ll have access to phone numbers of other members and the messaging service which allows you to contact them.
This sounds like a great way to save money, break up the monotony of a daily commute, and have the opportunity to make some new friends. It’s also a good feeling to know that by using BlablaCar, you’d be cutting carbon emissions by reducing road traffic and thus the pollution caused by it.
BlablaCar has just introduced a new annex of its site specifically designed to help students around the UK and in university towns make the most of their time and money. It’s called Campus and is completely free to use. Completely free to use, over 100 universities so far have created their own dedicated Campus pages, making it easy to go on student journeys and find both drivers and passengers headed in the same direction. Says Nicolas Brusson, co-founder of BlablaCar, “Campus is for savvy socials so they can make new friends and save money. Whether it’s a journey home to see family, a weekend visiting friends at other Universities, or a road trip to Cornwall, Blackpool or even Paris, BlablaCar takes the hassle out of students looking for a cheaper ride.”
To celebrate the launch of Campus, BlablaCar has created the BlablaCar Campus Challenge with £3000 in prize money going to the most active university on BlablaCar. To be eligible, all a university club has to do to register is email campus@blablacar.com.
I’d be keen to use BlablaCar next I need – or just want – to get out of town. With rides available from London to North West England, I’m sure it could come in handy and keep my costs down as well. I’m all for taking public transport, but there are times when it can be a big hassle or result in near disaster. Rail replacement services, stinky people eating stinky food … you know the score. Just last week, I was on a train sitting across from a woman clipping her fingernails (VILE!). With BlablaCar, there’s the chance to find a cheap and cheerful ride, do yourself and someone else a favour and also check out to see if you do indeed want to share a journey with a complete stranger.
