Blablabla
A carpooling app is revolutionising the way we travel. I drive to the South of France and share much more than just a journey with my passengers
Why should I go out of my way to give a complete stranger a lift? Like many other drivers, this simple question has always stopped me from fully embracing hitchhiking, carpooling and other community-based transport endeavours. Picking up an unknown passenger has always seemed like a thankless task – and slightly risky – but maybe not any more. A French company called BlaBlaCar appears to have come up with the perfect answer: cash incentives plus a little je ne sais quoi.
The system is simple. Drivers making a journey can advertise any unoccupied seats in their vehicle on BlaBlaCar’s online platform and app. Anyone wanting a lift must pay a price for the journey, which is fixed by an algorithm or by the drivers themselves. Pick-up requests are then sent to the drivers, who can either accept or decline the passenger after examining their profile.
These profiles are an all-important element of BlaBlaCar. After creating an account, members upload a photo and biography, and can post feedback on their experiences with other members. Just like home-sharing service Airbnb and taxi company Uber, users build a reputation online, and this can help remove the sense of risk. Additionally, no money is exchanged in person, as the transactions – from which BlaBlaCar takes a service charge of 12 per cent – are dealt with automatically online.
Since being founded in France in 2006, the company is now recognised as the world’s largest carpooling community. It boasts 60 million users, including eight million active drivers, in 22 different countries. Although available in the UK since 2011, BlaBlaCar enjoys most of its popularity in mainland Europe. In France, le covoiturage, as it is known, has become a part of everyday life. Drivers love the system as it helps cover petrol and car-maintenance costs, while passengers love it because it’s cheaper than public transport – and much more interesting.
To experience the system, I decide to try it out during a trip from Tunbridge Wells in Kent to the Mediterranean port of Marseilles, and back. The 2000-mile journey is a great opportunity to test the new Audi A7 Sportback, which was made with continent-crossing in mind. Nearly five metres long and two metres wide, with a 535-litre boot and a sporty but sophisticated silhouette, it can comfortably fit five adults and their luggage.
I advertise my route on the BlaBlaCar app and I’m soon inundated with requests from potential passengers. I select those I feel best fit my trip and then set off. The journey ahead will hopefully reveal the fantastic potential of the sharing economy and also bring to light some of its less obvious benefits. In addition to maximising resources, easing road congestion and saving money, BlaBlaCar engages users in something of a social experiment: true interaction with people from all walks of life and a fruitful source of conversation. When you’re spending a few hours in close proximity with someone, you naturally end up chatting about everything and anything.
I was astonished by the fascinating stories my passengers had to tell, and how diverse their lives were. It’s the perfect antidote to an Underground journey or bus ride, where everyone sits in silence, eyes glued to their phones.
Such an experience really takes on a whole new meaning when you discover that this form of travel isn’t about simply sharing a vehicle; it’s also about sharing memories, beliefs, viewpoints and life lessons. When you delve beneath the surface, people can be intriguing, if you are afforded the opportunity to find out more about them.
Thanh Tam
‘Wow! I wasn’t expecting to travel in such luxury,’ says Thanh Tam, as she buckles her seatbelt. ‘The image people have of car sharing is students in hatchbacks or hippies in vans. But that’s not true. If they knew it could be like this, I’m sure more of them would get involved.’
I’m driving the 20-year-old human-resources trainee to Troyes – the magnificent medieval city where she lives. Thanh is very impressed by the comfortable leather seats, plush interior and colourful ambience provided by the A7’s optional LED interior-lighting pack.
‘I work for the French rail service, so normally I can take the train at a discounted rate,’ she explains. ‘Unfortunately, because of the strikes,
I found myself left with no other solution than car sharing. If you hadn’t been making this trip, I would probably have had to stay the night and travel tomorrow.’
Indeed, recent strikes have heavily disrupted rail travel in France, and even the most ardent train users have had to use alternative services.
‘Being a young woman, I wouldn’t usually feel comfortable about hitch-hiking,’ Thanh admits when we talk about other travel options. ‘But BlaBlaCar is different because you can have a look at who is driving you before you get in the car, and check out their reputation.’
Jean-Baptiste
‘Ah, you mean Autumn Leaves,’ exclaims Jean-Baptiste, unpacking his guitar and delicately strumming the chords to the famous jazz song. We’ve been having a chat about music and I’ve been badly humming a tune I like but can’t name. He’s got it spot-on.
‘American-style jazz is great, but what I prefer is the gypsy stuff,’ adds the 30-year-old with an earnest face and a twinkle in his eye. ‘You know, people like Django Reinhardt – he could really swing. I also love the traditional music that comes out of the Balkans. There’s something truly magical about it.’ Sitting on the lip of the Audi’s boot, he proceeds to play an impromptu gig, starting with slow waltzes and ending with an electrifying jam. When he’s finished, I learn he’s en route to an important performance, but had stopped off in Reims to visit friends.
As we accelerate away to continue our journey, his keen ears pick up on the pleasant growl of the A7’s 3.0-litre diesel engine.
‘It doesn’t sound like a diesel, does it?’ he says, nodding his head to the sound. ‘That’s a much deeper and more pleasant bass. It could be used in a modern composition.’
Heather, John and Monsieur
‘In France, they do things in a different way,’ explains John, a retired 71-year-old from Britain who lives in France with his wife Heather, 70. ‘Sometimes it’s for the worse, like the fact they don’t play cricket – but most of the time, it’s definitely for the better. Food and wine are obvious examples, but more surprising elements are innovations like BlaBlaCar.’
The couple left the UK nearly two decades ago and moved overseas with two of their children. As one of their daughters is now living in nearby Luxembourg with her own children, John and Heather make the hour-long drive across the border to visit on a weekly basis.
‘Driving long distances doesn’t bother me, but if you’re on your own, it can get a bit lonely,’ says Heather, reflecting on their regular commute. ‘It was our son who told us about BlaBlaCar, and it seemed a great way of filling a car full of people, rather than running it half-empty. It’s also great if you don’t always fancy taking the wheel yourself.’
On the BlaBlaCar app, I had said that I didn’t mind dogs, so the couple have brought along their pet, Monsieur.
‘He’s quite particular about the cars he travels in,’ confides Heather about the white Lagotto Romagnolo, who is obediently sitting at her feet. ‘He’ll bark if he’s not happy, but he seems a bit too content in here. Let’s hope he’ll get out again!’
Nathalie
It looks as if it’s about to rain as I pick up Nathalie by the main railway station in the city of Lyons. But, as she jumps into the car, it feels as if the sun is shining inside. ‘How’s it going today in here?’ she asks with a cheeky grin, gesturing with tanned, slender hands. ‘I’m great – I’ve just had a check-up at the doctors and he told me everything is ticking along nicely. I’m so happy!’
With a bit of coaxing, the 42-year-old teaching assistant tells us more, explaining that, a year ago, her mother was in desperate need of a kidney transplant, so Nathalie donated one of hers.
She had travelled to Lyons by BlaBlaCar for an appointment with a specialist, and is now travelling back to her home in Valence, 50 minutes down the road.
‘She is my mum, after all!’ Nathalie replies, when I suggest she must be very brave. ‘You would do the same if you were in my position – can you imagine not doing it? Mums and dads are the reason we’re all here, after all.’
She adds quickly: ‘Anyway, enough about that. Tell me instead about this fantastic car. You say it’s an Audi A7, but what speed can it go? How much does it cost? And can I keep it?’
Sonny and Didié
It’s hard to miss Sonny standing outside the train station at Metz. In our messages via the BlaBlaCar app, he had described himself as costaud, which translates as beefy. As I pull up to the station, I’m confronted by a veritable man-mountain. It turns out that security guard Sonny is also a French national bodybuilding champion.
‘I’m on my way back south, where I grew up, to spend a week there,’ the 26-year-old tells me as I ask about his trip. ‘My cousin’s also a bodybuilder and he asked me to help coach him before a big competition, so I’ve taken a week off work. But in order to be successful, you need to make sacrifices.’
This is greeted with great enthusiasm by Didié, the other passenger I picked up in Metz. ‘That’s amazing,’ he says with a look of surprise. ‘That is exactly the kind of thing I like to talk about at my conferences. I always say to people that they can do anything they want and become anything they want – but only if they put in the work and believe in themselves.’
The 32-year-old goes on to reveal that he is a self-confidence coach and motivational speaker. He was returning from a big conference, but his car broke down, so he needed an alternative transport solution. Like Sonny, Didié is by no means a small man, and it’s a testament to the rear passenger space of the A7 that both these gents can comfortably sit side by side.
Alice, Camille and Rosa
I meet Rosa at the old port in Marseilles before heading off on the return leg of my journey. The 54-year-old is the mother of two grown-up children, but has a quickness in her step and an even quicker tongue.
Shortly after, we are joined by friends Alice, 29, and Camille, 27, who are heavily loaded with overnight bags and slightly out of breath from rushing to make our departure time.
‘I’m on my way to take my mother to her home village in Spain,’ Rosa tells me as we drive off. ‘My sisters are coming with us and we’re making sure she can enjoy herself, as she may not get that many more chances – she’s over 80, you see.’
Alice and Camille are also on a journey to see relatives – in this case, it’s Alice’s aunt, whom they plan to interview as part of a theatre project. The two women are currently writing a play together that involves members of their respective families.
‘In the 1950s, my great-aunt travelled from France to Armenia with her husband and children,’ Alice tells us. ‘All she took with her were a few clothes and her sewing machine. We want to tell her story, as well as the story of Camille’s grandfather, who was a cyclo-cross champion in France at around the same time.
‘What’s interesting is the relationship between humans and machines in both of these stories,’ explains Camille, giving more information about this project, which is clearly very important to her. ‘It’s funny because it’s similar to what you are doing with your article. You are exploring how people react to the Audi.’
I hadn’t thought about it quite like that, but her words ring true. Throughout the journey, I`’ve been focused on conversations with my passengers rather than on the A7. There’s no doubt this is in part due to the ease with which this Audi can be driven for long distances, thanks to its punchy engine, smooth suspension, high levels of interior comfort and advanced driver-assistance systems.
However, the art of driving is set to change, too. With the advent of autonomous-driving technology, the role of the car will be transformed, and it is likely to be seen more as a place for leisure, in which to spend quality time, rather than simply as a tool for transport.
Whatever the case, one thing is clear: driving, especially in as refined a machine as the new Audi A7, remains, like most things in life, much more enjoyable when shared.
