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Comment by rovek | Hacker News Reader

I've literally never heard anyone outside Spotify ads 3 years ago even mention blablacar, let alone in the same breath as Uber.

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Then you live disconnected from the european news... googled in 3 seconds:

[FRANCE] http://www.capital.fr/bourse/actualites/blablacar-uber-sont-...

[SPAIN] http://www.elmundo.es/comunidad-valenciana/2016/04/14/570f66...

[UK] http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/60586...

[NETHERLANDS] http://www.nu.nl/internet/4268012/autodeeldienst-blablacar-w...

etc...

Paid media coverage is a far cry from regular people actually using/talking about it. I've never heard of them.

Loads of people use it for going to/from UK-France as it's generally the cheapest method (both for drivers and passengers).

it's super popular in France, at the very least.

It's used for longer distances, city to city, country to country. I wouldn't see it as the same market as Uber is in. Plus it's ride sharing, not "taxi" (as in driver rides only because you told him to).

Germany here.

Everyone I know (not exaggerating) knows about or has used services from BlaBlaCar.

Students use it regularly. Services like https://www.fromatob.de/ include it in the fare calculation.

Uber and Lyft are basically non-existent here.

Nor have I but apparently it's big in some parts of Europe, so I don't assume my experience applies everywhere.

Used it in Europe, sometimes cheaper than busses. Sometimes useful for unusual routes. It truely was "ride sharing", chipping in for fuel costs rather than a new job.

it's really popular in some European countries. For passengers it's an alternative to trains or bus coaches. It's used for intercity travel, not a taxi replacement. Also it's ride sharing, drivers are not professionals and are not allowed to profit from it. Drivers are only allowed to recoup fuel and toll costs on journey they intended to make anyway.

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