With the ecological crisis, inflation and strikes, carpooling is emerging as a practical and economical solution for getting around. Here is a selection of apps and services to make the most of it.
Whether it is to compensate for the lack of public transport due to strikes, to try to limit your carbon impact when traveling, because you are not transported or simply to save some money when fuel prices are rising in arrow because of inflation, carpooling is convenient for both short and long trips. It has really become a mode of transport in its own right, and it’s never too late to get started! As a passenger, carpooling allows you to travel at a lower price – see for free! – without bothering with the stress and mishaps of public transport. For their part, drivers can amortize their travel costs without complicating their lives.
Used on a larger scale and on a regular basis, carpooling can reduce greenhouse gas emissions – lhe private car alone accounts for more than 15% of emissions in France –, fuel consumption – the Earth’s resources are unfortunately not unlimited –, atmospheric pollution in large cities and traffic on major roads, while generally increasing mobility. And then it’s an opportunity to meet new people! In addition, at this time, new drivers who start with this mode of transport have the possibility of benefiting from a bonus of up to €200. To take the plunge, here is a small selection of the best carpooling applications, as a driver or passenger.
BlaBlaCar: the essential carpooling
Impossible to mention carpooling without mentioning the most popular and pioneering application in this field. On the web browser or on the mobile application, BlaBlaCar brings together more than 100 million members who share their journeys by carpooling and by bus, in 22 countries. The app is mainly used for long and medium distance journeys. To publish a new route or board a car, you only have to register in just a few minutes, and the fares are clearly announced to you, with no risk of unpleasant surprises. Each trip indicates its departure and arrival cities as well as the timetables, the number of seats available and the price of the trip. You have many criteria to select, such as traveling with a pet, with luggage or finding a car in which smoking is allowed (see our sheet).
For shorter and recurring journeys, you can instead use BlaBlaCar Daily, a variation of BlaBlaCar specializing in home-work journeys. The first four journeys as a passenger are free and, thanks to a partnership with Île-de-France Mobilités, the journeys are offered to passengers in the Île-de-France region who have a Passe Navigo subscription.
Download BlaBlaCar
Karos: carpooling on a daily basis
Karos is an app dedicated to commuting, which it also optimizes. You only need a few minutes to install it, create an account, fill in your addresses of residence and professional activity, specify your usual departure times and discover the carpoolers who share the same route. You can even book at the last minute! A formula that contains no less than 100,000 active users and 800,000 km of possible carpooling.
To encourage carpooling, Karos also benefits from the partnership with Île-de-France Mobilités, which makes journeys free for Passe Navigo holders and pays for the first ten journeys for passengers. It offers drivers 20 € of Tickets E.Leclerc.
Klaxit: for commuting
Like Karos, Klaxit focuses on commuting by relying on a network of partnerships with some 30 local authorities – including the one for the Navigo Pass – and several hundred companies – which can be very interesting if you do part. Result: the platform offers carpooling at low prices, even free. In addition, in case of last minute cancellation, she takes you or brings you back free of charge by Uber or taxi. If you are a driver, it rewards your loyalty with additional benefits through a points system and offers.
La Roue Verte: solidarity carpooling
La Roue Verte is an independent solution that is quite different from other carpooling applications – apart from the fact that it is only accessible via a website. She does not ask for any payment because everything happens between the driver and the passage, which she is content to put in contact – no intermediary, which is an advantage as much as a disadvantage. In return, the service protects your data, does not resell it, does not use your contact book and your password is encrypted. Fares are affordable and the compensation requested is calculated to cover fuel and toll costs, with no benefit for the driver. In addition, you can see the CO emissions2 that you save by opting for carpooling.
