BlaBlaCar, a leading long-distance car-sharing network, has just announced its launch in three new regions: Benelux, Poland and Portugal. With these additions, BlaBlaCar is now active in nine countries and is rolling out new features to support its internationalisation process and fast-growing community.
The recent launch in Poland includes joining forces with Superdojazd, a local car-sharing network in the process of launching and opening an office in Warsaw. Piotr Jás, who will manage BlaBlaCar Poland and lead its expansion in the country, founded Superdojazd in 2012. Strategically significant, this move marks BlaBlaCar’s first foray into Eastern Europe.
Overall, the rollout in all five countries creates a pan-European car-sharing network, which takes BlaBlaCar one-step closer to building an alternative transport system across the continent. The company, a car-sharing website that connects drivers with empty seats and paying passengers to offset costs for distance travel, has also opened an office in London.
Nicolas Brusson, Co-founder and COO of BlaBlaCar, said: “Our expansion into five new countries simply made sense given the significant traction and demand we were seeing from our community. More than 400,000 people share long-distance journeys on BlaBlaCar every month, which average 342 kilometers each. We are widening the geographic scope available to them, as well as providing a new travel option to a larger number of people. We are particularly pleased to welcome Superdojazd into the BlaBlaCar fold and to be able to build on their work in Poland. ”
As part of its further internationalisation, BlaBlaCar has launched a new version of its website focused on ease, trust and transparency. New usability features include faster sign up and more sophisticated search, language and currency functionality. New trust and transparency features include an improved ratings system for drivers and mandatory phone number verification.
BlaBlaCar’s expansion comes at a time when its numbers continue to skyrocket. As of September 2012, there were 2.4 million BlaBlaCar members, and a new member signs up every 23.5 seconds. BlaBlaCar was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Paris.
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