Ending another epic year, and welcoming 2022
As 2021 comes to an end, the world is still coping with the whims of an unpredictable virus. Phenomenal progress took place this year, from mass vaccination to the hope of medication, allowing some normality to step back in our lives. Uncertainty remains, but the world has proven to be resilient.
Meanwhile a new destabilizing factor kicked-in in the second half of the year as petrol prices surged, a hike that is likely here to stay considering the background forces, and which is leading drivers to carpool to share the higher costs of their journeys.
In this volatile context, BlaBlaCar showed strong signs of a return to growth. As travel picked up in the second half of the year, so did drivers’ willingness to carpool.
On our way to digitalizing long-distance bus operators in CEE & LATAM
2021 was not just about navigating the crisis. We accelerated the digitalization of long-distance bus operators in Russia, Ukraine and now Brazil. Today, 80% of BlaBlaCar’s activity is outside of France, in markets where mobility is evolving at a blistering pace. BlaBlaCar is seizing the offline to online transition in CEE and Brazil bus markets, leveraging on our large passenger demand and our new bus connecting technology.
Since the acquisition of Busfor and Octobus in the last 2 years, BlaBlaCar has made a technological leap forward to digitalise bus stations while powering bus carriers with inventory management systems and online distribution. Meanwhile, our passengers are offered more choice and convenience than ever before.
Today, 1 in 5 seats booked on BlaBlaCar are booked on a bus and we believe that we are well positioned to play a key role in digitalising the multi-billion bus markets outside of Europe and continuing fostering shared mobility globally.
Reaching 100 million members, and back at pre-crisis revenues
These factors combined have resulted in BlaBlaCar surpassing its 2019 revenues for the first time this quarter, and hitting the symbolic milestone of 100 million members.
And this is what a community of 100 million members sharing rides looks like in a day… That was the dream all along, and it’s still breathtaking to see the power of people coming together to create a more human and carbon-saving travel network.
As we step into 2022, we want to thank every single BlaBlaCar employee for their dedication, drive and great spirit during another challenging year. We thank BlaBlaCar members for sharing the road and doing so responsibly, and we wish everyone a joyful and safe holiday season!
