BlaBlaCar announced this morning that they are rolling out their P2P ride-sharing marketplace in five new countries: Benelux (Belgium, The Netherlands & Luxembourg), Portugal & Poland. In addition, In the announcement, BlaBlaCar said it has joined forces with Poland’s Superdojazd, a local car sharing network that was just about to launch, and they will be setting up an office in Warsaw soon, with BlaBlaCar Poland being run by Superdojazd founder Piotr Jás.
With this new expansion, not only is BlaBlaCar now present in 9 European countries, but it is now present in its first Eastern European country. The map (seen below) is still missing a few key countries in Central Europe – notably Switzerland and Germany – but I’m sure BlaBlaCar has reasons for waiting to enter competitor Carpooling.com’s home country:
“Our focus has always been on the community, and our new website creates the most sophisticated and user-friendly experience of any car sharing site. Our accountability only grows as our community does, and we are pioneering the best possible user experience for our members,”
-Nicolas Brusson, COO
The marketplace now counts over 2.4 million members – that’s up 400,000 since June. With their continued growth, the startup will be able to provide “an alternative transport system across the continent.”
The announcement also comes with a brand new website – the roll out is taking place on all country sites except in France, likely due to the fact that they’re still weighing decisions to officially change the French version’s site name from CoVoiturage.fr (the french word for ridesharing) to BlaBlaCar. The new site looks pretty slick, making it easier than ever to search, book, and purchase a ride-share.
BlaBlaCar was also featured in the New York Times talking about European ride-sharing mentalities.
