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BlaBlaCar became, long ago, the quintessential app for carpooling. This has its good things and its bad things, but, in the end, its age, the number of users who use it and the fact that it continues to be highly popular even with a lot of competition guarantee it.
Those who prefer the company, others who like the exclusivity of traveling in a private vehicle, may simply not be able to afford a more expensive trip… There are many reasons that can lead you to want to use this app, it is clear and , of course, we want you to do it, but with knowledge.
For this reason, we are going to tell you what exactly is BlaBlaCar, how it works and what advantages and disadvantages you can find. In addition, we propose other alternatives so that you weigh which one can be better for you and choose the one that makes you feel most comfortable.
What is Blablacar and what is it used for?
BlaBlaCar is a digital service (includes both mobile app and web page to make use of its services) shared vehicle of French origin that appears in 2009. It consists of make known the route you are going to make with your vehicle as driver so that other users can be your passengers contributing an amount of money for expenses.
Seen the other way around, it is a service that allows you find drivers who make the same trip you want to make (or very similar), being able to hire a seat in your vehicle in exchange for the stipulated price.
In this way, people with free seats in their vehicles and users who need to be passengers get in touch. Some parameters are established and a quantity of information is given in order to find the most appropriate routes and so that users know more about each other.
The result is the organization of a joint trip that is much cheaper. It is important to point out that it is a way of sharing cars and expenses and that there is no remuneration or payment for the driverso that the Law 17/1986 on Land Transport Managementprohibiting payment for transporting people in private vehicles without prior permission.
Advantage
- The trip you make will be much cheaper than using any means of transport.
- You can make and receive concessionsfor example, leaving someone at a point closer to their destination than the bus or train station would be.
- The planet also wins. If we compare this method of travel compared to traveling in our vehicle, we see that, obviously, the fuel that we would all use is reduced, and, with it, polluting emissions.
- Destination locations are quite specific. There are events that many people attend and, despite being poorly located or requiring special hours, you will find someone to take you, because there are many people who, just like you, will attend that same event.
- Communication with users. If you are going to arrive 5 minutes late, you can notify them, and they can cordially wait for you; the train doesn’t wait, the bus doesn’t wait either, and I won’t even tell you about the plane! You can also say that your father has failed you and cannot bring you closer to the agreed point to see if they can go after you. In short, there is a communication between driver and passengers that allows, if desired by both parties, to give some flexibility.
- Something very good about this application is that has accident insurancesomething that few of us think well that it has a very user-friendly character.
Disadvantages
- Of course, and having already had cases of unpleasant episodes, we have to remember that you never know who you’re going to meet or what state it will be in. You’re dealing with private individuals and no one has responsibility for anyone, so ultimately you’re getting into a stranger’s car. You can find a rude person, someone inconsiderate or a real danger.
- You must make the payment in advance. Obviously, this provides safety to the driver, because before it was not done this way and the sit-ins were constant. However, you have to consider that not everyone uses cards or PayPal, which are the options that are currently allowed in the app.
- To avoid cancellation by the passenger we have payment in advance, yes, but… what about the driver? It is true that from the app they get annoying and tell you that they take into account the fact that you cancel your trip, especially if it is with little time to spare, but that’s it; passengers are left without a trip, which not only means that they have to wait for their payment (already made) to be reimbursed, but it is a total nonsense Well, it is very possible that, with a few days apart, you will not find a way to go where you planned and, if you do, this is surely very expensive, something that you may not be able or want to assume. That is, either you move in another way or you lose what you were going to do at your destination (hotel, tickets to places you were going to visit, etc). Definitely, the driver cancels your trip if you wish and there you stay.
- Locations are somewhat cumbersome to work withasking you for accuracy.
- A filter is really necessary that allows us to search for trips in nearby days and locations and, of course, without having to enter a time. Routes are filtered very badly for this reason and there are really many people who are flexible when it comes to dates and even pick-up and drop-off locations.
- For some years, the application takes a substantial commission. For example, for an Alicante-Barcelona trip, he pockets 5 euros per passenger, and that is if the driver chooses the minimum contribution. Obviously, we are not against this, but it turns out to be quite high in this case.
How does Blablacar work?
Let’s see the four basics that you should know and that are the essence of this vehicle sharing application during your trips.
Registration and configuration
Once you open the application for the first time you are asked to indicate your country. After that, you must log in or register. If you don’t have an account, you have the option to register with your Facebook data or in a traditional waywith your email account.
You simply have to fill out a standard form that ends with verification via mobile phone. Once inside, access your profile from the corresponding button of the silhouette, bottom right, to include your data and preferences.
create trip
If you are the one who puts the vehicle and drives, you can create your trip in the following way:
- Click on the icon with the two quotes (“Trips“), down left.
- Hit the button “Post“.
- On the screen that appears you must enter the address from which you will depart. Go writing and choose, from the list of suggestions, the one that corresponds.
- Now do the same with the destination place.
- You will be asked if you want incorporate transit towns so that people from those locations can see your trip and join it. Tick the ones you want or write them down if they don’t appear on the list.
- Press “Confirm“.
- You are offered popular places to make stops in selected towns and cities. Click on “Watch” at each of the points.
- A map of the area and the options to choose that stop or change to another will appear. That is up to you.
- Once the stops have been chosen, click on “Confirm“.
- Now it’s time to enter the departure date. You have a calendar in which you simply have to click on the correct day.
- Then you must put the departure time.
- Click on the arrow button at the bottom right.
- Now you will be asked about the number of passengers, the type of reservation and the priceindicating a contribution calculated by the app but that you can change by clicking on “I do not agree“. Change the price or not and click on “Continue“.
- You can too include the return if you are going to do it and want to take advantage of the journey. You will have to put the day and time and, if you wish, add a comment about your trip, for example, if you allow smoking, if you are going to take an animal, the capacity of the trunk…
- All you have to do is click on “Post“. Your trip will now be visible to all users.
- Remember that the more information provided in the profile, the more details will appear on your journey and, therefore, the more users will know and the more they will trust you to choose you as a driver.
Modify trip
If you have created a trip and want to modify, delete or manage it, you can do so from “Trips“, the quote icon. The trips you have scheduled will appear here to drive.
At the bottom right of each is a button with three dotsis the options menu, if you press it you will find that you can “Manage”, “Edit”, “Duplicate” or “Delete”.
search trip
If what you need is someone to take you:
- Click on “Search“, the magnifying glass icon.
- Next, enter the place of departure in the box that says “Of“.
- After, destiny where you want to go in “A“.
- Then you will have to enter the date.
- Now click on “Search“.
- The different options available will appear. Click on the one of your interest to see more details.
- You can talk to the driver by clicking on “Contact with..:“. A chat will open there so you can ask all your questions.
- If you are interested in hiring that route, once you leave the chat, click on “Continue“.
- You will choose the number of places to reserve.
- Next you will see the details and proceed to pay.
- You can use card or PayPal. To do this, you will have to fill in the form with your payment details.
- You will be asked if you are sure. Once you accept, your reservation will be made.
- Once the trip is over, you can value it, including the driverand these evaluations will be visible to other users, so that they can know the kindness, reliability, punctuality, etc.
List of the 8 best ridesharing apps similar or alternative to Blablacar on Android and iPhone
Of course, we are not going to leave without giving you other options or tools similar or alternative to BlaBlaCar so you have to choose based on what interests you in particular. Let’s see some available for Android, iOS or both.
We are
SoMo is an app focused on traveling or meeting acquaintances although, of course, we can extrapolate it to our interest: moving around sharing a vehicle. We achieve this with the option “create trip“What’s in it?
You add a location, the route is shown (including public transportation options)set date and time and invite the people in question. It is not the same as BlaBlaCar in this aspect, since it is a program that works with users from your network of contacts, who are the ones you can invite.
Mokmok
It is basically used to move around the city, looking for those who share a similar route, for example, to go to university, to work, etc. However, it is very likely that you will find routes to polygons, nearby towns and institutions. This is exclusive to iOS.
to my car
It is a very interesting newborn app because it allows you to create a course or search for itjust as so many do, but also it has its events tabwhich are supposed to have a lot of repercussion and where you can place your trip if you are going to go and, of course, where you should look if you need a ride,
Otoocar
This application you choose who is going to attend (and share your vehicle with others) to specific events and placesfor example, airports, congresses, parties, festivals…
you have filters, of course, for this type of trip, but also to go in cars only with girls, to filter the vehicles by degree of comfort, to search for users by rating or that the options appear by price. Currently only found available for Android.
Gou!
Gou gives you the option of choosing a destination to search for available trips but it also shows you the destinations near you that are most in demandof course, trips available in a nearby radius.
Of course, you can also create your itinerary if you are a driver and it will appear to users who do related searches.
Join Up Taxi
This is a little different because it is not the users who put their vehicle and drive it but it is a way of fill the taxis of a lifetime, joining different users to make a single journey that includes the desired destinations.
Amovens
Unlike anything we’ve seen, this app allows you to rent your car, in an area, for a price per hour and kilometer, so that another user rents it and can make his trip calmly; a car rental service. It can be used on both iOS and Android,
Social Car
This is another program like the previous one, which allows you to rent your car when you are not using it and let someone else use it to meet their needs. It is sold as a collaborative platform, so here you will always find adjusted prices.
Applications