BlaBlaCar expands its BlaBlaLines service to Paris area

BlaBlaCar is currently trying to reinvent itself. And it starts with BlaBlaLines, a new ride-sharing service for daily commutes. The company first tested out the new service around Reims and Toulouse. It is now live in the Paris area.

BlaBlaCar was first all about long-distance ride sharing. If you’re driving from Paris to London, you can list your ride on BlaBlaCar and get connected with riders who also want to go to London.

While this service is perfect for vacations and long weekends, most people are only going to use BlaBlaCar every now and then. The company wanted to try something new — a new service with as little friction as possible and that is all about daily commutes.

BlaBlaLines automatically creates a line between your home and your work so that you can pick up people on the way. When you first sign up, you can say your usual hours and routes so that the app can automatically list your ride every day.

If you’re on vacation or you’re running late, you can cancel or change your rides. On the other side, passengers can book a ride at the last minute and go to the nearest stop. Drivers won’t go to your home, you’ll have to get close to your driver’s usual itinerary.

BlaBlaLines is a brand new app and works only on mobile. The company is also launching the iOS app today in addition to the Android app.

So far, BlaBlaLines handles 2,000 roundtrips between Reims and Chalons-en-Champagne every week, and 5,000 weekly roundtrips between Toulouse and Montauban. Starting today, there will also be more routes around Toulouse and Montauban. A trip usually costs between €2 and €6.

Paris is a much bigger challenge, so lets see if BlaBlaLines can become a daily habit for thousands of people.

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