FlixBus rival alert: French unicorn BlaBlaCar to enter The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany

BlaBlaCar, a French carpooling platform will operate bus lines in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. By expanding its presence into Germany, this car service is all set to compete against the likes of Flixbus.

BlaBlaCar will be active in these new market by the end of this year, announced its CEO Nicolas Brusson to Handelsblatt, a German newspaper. With this expansion, it will build the experience with bus transport that the firm gained in France.

The availability of buses will depend on the private bus companies. They will join services such as BlaBlaCar and Flixbus in order to increase the occupancy rate or achieve new sales. BlaBlaCar offers the network, advertising and refraction machine.

Raised €101 million funding

BlaBlaCar was founded in 2006 by Francis Nappez, Nicolas Brusson and Frederic Mazzella in Paris. Initially, it was launched as a carpooling service for long distances. In late 2018, it acquired the bus network Ouibus from SNCF, a French rail company. Following the same, BlaBlaCar raised €101 million from SNCF and other investors. With this investment, long-distance road travel will be transformed to a great extent.

How to book tickets?

Users of BlaBlaBus can take to the company’s website or app to book a ticket. Generation the bus tickets are available at attractive pricing. However, it has to be noted that the speed of the journey is nowhere comparable to that of a train or car.

Existing BlaBlaBus network

Ouibus, which is the actual name of the bus service BlaBlaBus has bus networks to 37 destinations from France and 29 destinations from Rotterdam. However, there is no clarity regarding the cities that will be spanned by this bus network. It is touted that 60 large cities in Germany will be included.

FlixBus rival

In Germany, BlaBlaBus will be a tough challenger to FlixBus. FlixMobility is a low-cost startup transforming the way people actually travel. It offers sustainable bus travel, which is affordable and comfortable.

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Also read,

https://siliconcanals.com/accelerators/unique-chance-for-sustainability-startups-to-become-startup-in-residence-in-amsterdam/