Operating in 19 countries, Blablacar is the most well known online car sharing platform in the world, conceived, just like all the great social network successes, almost by chance. To date it lays claim to 20 million subscribers and 2 billion miles shared.
Its great success has a simple reason; more passengers in the same vehicle doesn’t just mean a more fun and interesting ride, but also a significant reduction in cost and time. A modern version of hitch hiking, basically, which is completely trustworthy thanks to the accurate feedback system that the platform uses.
Subscription is free and instantaneous, and the site is easy to use. All you have to do is input the journey and date desired, look over the drivers that offer places, compare the prices then negotiate with the driver themselves, who will be paid once the journey is through.
The idea of sharing car journeys has always been attractive to Italians and Sicilians, where trips are often slow and tiring, and BlaBlaCar has become a viable substitute to public transport, looking to become the trendiest, cheapest and most fun way of visiting the island this summer.
Why? For these five reasons:
- With BlaBlaCar you save money
This is as true for the driver as it is for the passengers. One figure is immediately evident on visiting the site: sharing the costs with others, the driver could save up to 75%, between petrol and tolls. Working out how much a passenger might save is a little more complicated, as costs vary based on the period and the destination, but one might consider that the average cost of a trip from Milan to Bologna, based on an average of three passengers, is 12 Euros; all you need to do is take a look at the Trenitalia website for an idea of the savings.
- With BlaBlaCar you save time
Trains are a very picturesque way of travelling around Italy but unfortunately they are rarely punctual and the buses, while a good alternative, are often slow and torturous, and one runs the risk of spending hours upon hours with one’s nose pressed up against a window rather than making the most of the holidays.
The fastest way to get around Sicily is undoubtedly by car and BlaBlaCar allows people to reduce the impact of its sole downside; the cost of petrol.
- With BlaBlaCar you meet new people
Reading the testimonials of those that have tried BlaBlaCar, it seems that, rather than the reduction in cost and time, both drivers and passengers appreciate being able to make new acquaintances more than anything else. Those that have used the application on a regular basis have found regular “chauffeurs” and “customers”, discovered friends in common and organised get-togethers, met new friends and some even found love!
- With BlaBlaCar you are helping the environment
Carsharing not only gives you company and helps you save money and time, but is also a realistic way to help the environment. According to Olivier Bremer, the national manager of BlaBlaCar Italia, if every vehicle drove fully occupied the annual reduction in CO2 would total 40 billion tonnes. Fantasy? Maybe. But since they began, BlaBlaCar have reduced total toxin output by 700,000 tonnes.
- With BlaBlaCar you broaden your horizons
Read the stories from the blog [trovare link del paese] and you will find people who have car-shared with aspiring actors, tightrope walkers, entire families, as well as young travellers from every corner of the world . It’s a language exchange on four wheels, basically, and an opportunity to encounter unfamiliar cultures. So there you go, the miracle of BlaBlaCar: to condense the world in a single vehicle, allowing travellers to grow their minds and their hearts.
What are you waiting for? Book your first voyage with BlaBlaCar and go discover Sicily, the staff of B&B Globetrotter Catania will be delighted to help you!