BlaBlaCar is in discussions to acquire startup Klaxit, which would unite two French carpooling specialists with a common goal of reducing the country’s carbon footprint through more shared rides.
While negotiations are ongoing, the companies’ co-founders speak of the importance of reducing the number of French motorists who drive alone every day, estimated now at 10 million.
“The year 2023 is the year in which everyday carpooling must change scale in France, with a real awareness of energy issues and an unprecedented government plan to accelerate the transition to carpooling,” says Nicolas Brusson, co-founder and CEO of BlaBlaCar.
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“By combining our strengths with those of BlaBlaCar, we will be able to save precious years and give ourselves every chance of succeeding in the mission we set ourselves: to have a real social and environmental impact by having millions of people carpool daily,” says Cyrille Courtière, co-founder and CTO of Klaxit.
BlaBlaCar connects drivers and passengers who are on the same route at the same times. In 2018 it launched the BlaBlaCar Daily app, making it possible to share home-to-work journeys daily. Over 1.5 million rides were shared with the service last year.
Klaxit, founded in 2012, creates carpooling networks by working with companies, which offer the service to employees, and with local authorities, which help subsidize carpooling journeys. The company reports 2.6 million trips were made last year.
The companies see the acquisition working in a complementary way. By 2024, they say, the union could lead to a single app.
“Klaxit has been building, step by step, a model capable of making short-distance carpooling take off,” says Julien Honnart, the company’s co-founder and president. “To go further and convince even more citizens, we needed a brand known to everyone and a community of several million members. Joining forces with BlaBlaCar then seemed obvious.”