BlaBlaCar launches its BlaBlaBus in Brussels and Belgium
BlaBlaCar, the French carpooling platform, launched its first BlaBlaBus in Belgium on Monday. By the end of this coming summer, its network is expected to include 16 lines operating in the Benelux area.
In Belgium, BlaBlaBus will offer ten lines connecting Brussels South, Brussels Airport, Liège, Leuven, Antwerp and Bruges to France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In 2019, more than 70 routes will be opened in Europe. In total, more than 400 destinations in ten European countries will be accessible by BlaBlaCar buses.
“Nearly one million members already use BlaBlaCar on our platform in the Benelux area, and some other destinations are experiencing increasing demand. For example, Paris-Brussels is the fourth busiest route on our platform in France. We therefore have a solid base to quickly deploy our network in Belgium and extend it to the rest of Western Europe,” says Audrey Wolfovski, Country Manager of France & The Benelux Area at BlaBlaCar.
After the Benelux countries, BlaBlaBus will launch its activities in Germany on June 24th. The company thus intends to compete with the German company Flixbus, which recently acquired Eurolines, and which holds a near monopoly on long-distance bus transport there. Both bus companies operate according to the same model, i.e. cooperation with private bus operators. BlaBlaCar acquired Ouibus, a loss-making subsidiary of SNCF, in November 2018. Gradually, this last brand will be phased out, to be replaced by the BlaBlaBus brand.
