This doesn’t bode well for carpooling platform BlaBlaCar, who had already retreated from the Indian market. It has recently jumped ahead to become its biggest market globally. The company thus far has a remarkable growth story. In India, it takes pride in serving 20 million passengers — an increase of almost 50% over last year. This increase is accompanied by 1.1 million monthly active users, which recently reached a high of about 1.5 million in mid-August.
Among BlaBlaCar’s users in India, the largest demographic is young adults. Approximately 70% of them are under 34 years old. The platform’s appeal is heavily driven by its youthful user base. It really wouldn’t be possible without the power of mobile technology. The BlaBlaCar app accounts for an impressive 95% of all activity within the country, reflecting a shift towards digital solutions for transportation.
To meet the unique demands of Indian users, BlaBlaCar has rolled out a number of customized features. A key improvement is a new “meeting-point logic,” meant to make it easier to coordinate where drivers and passengers should meet. Furthermore, the company has rolled out an ID Check feature that allows users to verify their identities through government-issued documents.
“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.” – BlaBlaCar
BlaBlaCar’s original business model in India is focused on passenger transport. Nowadays, 75% of its users are passengers, only 25% are drivers. Drivers make an average of ₹390 (under $4) per seat, for typical trip distances of 180 kilometers on average. In fact, BlaBlaCar has so far failed to make money with its Indian subsidiary. Regardless of that, the company seems pretty keen on increasing user engagement.
BlaBlaCar is meanwhile growing its business aggressively. They expect to have a physical presence, with a local office in India, by the end of this year or beginning of next. The firm is looking to get its first hire on board within this period. As Nicolas Brusson, one of BlaBlaCar’s founders, put it, the company always stressed a long-term strategy.
“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.” – Nicolas Brusson
Word of mouth has played a crucial role in BlaBlaCar’s growth, along with increasing mobile internet access and a rise in digital payments and car ownership among India’s burgeoning middle class. Today, India represents over a third of BlaBlaCar’s global carpool passengers, highlighting the importance of this emerging market.
Users have repeatedly voiced frustrations over communication with the company’s customer support. All too often, they have described difficulties accessing assistance, missing out on specialized advice, or even being directed through an automated system. Resolving these complaints continues to be a focus of the company as it works to restore consumer confidence and satisfaction.
While BlaBlaCar has expanded to run bus services on a number of other markets across the world, these services have yet to materialize in India. The emphasis continues to be on carpooling as the main ride-hailing business model for Indian consumers.
Lavanya Jain, a millennial user of BlaBlaCar, explained what drew her to use the platform to travel nationally within India.
“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.” – Lavanya Jain
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