India, the market BlaBlaCar once walked away from, is now its biggest

BlaBlaCar, a long-distance carpooling platform, has experienced a remarkable turnaround in India, transforming it from a market it once abandoned into its largest globally. After initially entering India in 2015 but withdrawing its local team in 2017 due to stiff competition and poor traction, BlaBlaCar’s app usage surged starting in 2022 without significant marketing or a local presence. This growth has been driven by expanding mobile internet access, widespread adoption of digital payments—especially via India’s government-backed Unified Payments Interface (UPI)—and rising car ownership among the middle class. India’s limited public transport capacity and improving road infrastructure have also contributed to the platform’s appeal, enabling millions of users to access affordable, efficient, and social travel options between cities. Currently, India accounts for about one-third of BlaBlaCar’s global carpool passengers, with an estimated 20 million users this year, up nearly 50% from the previous year, surpassing Brazil and France