India, once abandoned by BlaBlaCar, now leads as its top global market

India has become BlaBlaCar's largest global market, reaching a historic milestone of 2 million passengers in August 2025 and expecting to serve nearly 20 million passengers by the end of the year, marking a 50% increase compared to 2024[1][5]. BlaBlaCar's resurgence in India follows its initial withdrawal in 2017 due to competition, but since 2022, the platform has skyrocketed from 4.3 million to a projected 20 million users, now accounting for about one-third of its global carpool passengers[5]. CEO Nicolas Brusson highlighted India's young, mobile-first demographic, with 70% of users aged 18–34 and 95% o

India’s government has taken a cautious yet enabling stance on BlaBlaCar’s expansion, with the Ministry of Road Transport clarifying that **carpooling is not banned but requires official permission**, ensuring regulatory oversight without stifling innovation, as stated by the minister in 2023[13]. This framework has helped BlaBlaCar, which saw India become its top market with over 2 million passengers in August 2025 and an expected 20 million by year-end, to scale rapidly under compliant operations[1]. Authorities are focusing on encouraging shared mobility models while monitoring safety and legal compliance, reflecting growing governmental support aligned with India’s mobility and sustainability goals.

In a stunning reversal, India has emerged as BlaBlaCar's largest global market, marking a significant turnaround after the company initially withdrew from the country in 2017. As a result, BlaBlaCar's stock valuation has surged, with shares experiencing a notable increase of approximately 83.85% relative to recent secondary market valuations as of October 6, 2025[7]. The company's resurgence in India is attributed to its renewed focus on carpooling services, with projections suggesting up to 20 million passengers by year-end, a 50% increase from 2024[5].

## Breaking News Update: October 25, 2025 India, where BlaBlaCar once withdrew its local team in 2017 amid stiff competition, has surged to become the platform’s largest global market, with a record 2 million passengers in August 2025 alone and a projected 20 million users by year-end—a 50% jump from 2024[1][5]. “India now accounts for about 33% of BlaBlaCar’s global carpool passengers,” the company confirmed, highlighting that three-quarters of its 1.1 million monthly active users are passengers, with usage peaking at 1.5 million in August[5]. Industry analysts point to India’s young, mobile

India has emerged as BlaBlaCar’s largest global market as of August 2025, with over 2 million passengers served in that month alone and projections of 20 million passengers by year-end, marking a 50% increase over 2024. This surge follows BlaBlaCar’s initial withdrawal of its local team in 2017 due to stiff competition from Uber and Ola, both of which paused carpool services during the COVID-19 lockdowns; since 2022, BlaBlaCar’s India user base has skyrocketed from 4.3 million to 20 million, now accounting for about 33% of the platform’s global carpool passengers. CEO Nicolas Brusson highlighted this rapid growt

India has become BlaBlaCar's largest global market as of August 2025, with the platform serving 2 million passengers that month and projecting nearly 20 million passengers for the full year—a 50% increase from 2024—with daily peaks exceeding 100,000 rides[1][5]. This surge is driven by India's young, mobile-first demographic (70% aged 18-34), 95% mobile-based bookings, and the widespread adoption of digital payments via the government-backed UPI system, processing nearly 20 billion transactions monthly, which supports seamless, scalable ride-sharing transactions[1][3][5]. BlaBlaCar’s technical focus on cloud infrastructure scalability, AI-driven product innovation, and multimoda

India has become BlaBlaCar’s largest global market as of August 2025, surpassing France and Brazil with 2 million passengers served that month and projections of nearly 20 million passengers by the end of 2025[1][5]. The platform now sees over 100,000 daily users in India, a 50% increase compared to 2024, with 70% of riders aged 18–34 and 95% booking trips via mobile apps[1][3]. After initially withdrawing its local team in 2017 due to competition, BlaBlaCar’s usage in India has surged since 2022, with 13.5 million trips completed through September 2025, representing about a thir

**Breaking News**: In a stunning reversal, India has emerged as BlaBlaCar's largest global market, after the company once withdrew due to stiff competition. As of August 2025, India recorded over 2 million passengers, with projections of 20 million by year-end, marking a 50% increase from 2024[1][5]. BlaBlaCar's resurgence is attributed to post-pandemic travel shifts, with CEO Nicolas Brusson emphasizing the platform's focus on sustainable growth in key markets like India and Brazil[7].

India’s public reaction to BlaBlaCar’s rise as its largest global market is overwhelmingly positive, with users praising affordability and convenience. For instance, 21-year-old student Lavanya Jain noted that a 120 km trip costs about ₹500 ($6), significantly cheaper than private cabs charging ₹1,500–₹2,000 ($17–$23), highlighting cost savings as a key driver of popularity[5]. With over 2 million passengers in August 2025 and projections reaching 20 million by year-end, a young, mobile-savvy user base (70% aged 18–34, 95% booking via app) is embracing carpooling as an efficient, eco-friendly alternative to traditional travel mode

India has become BlaBlaCar's largest global market as of August 2025, reaching 2 million passengers that month and peaking at over 100,000 daily rides—a 50% increase from 2024—with expectations to hit 20 million passengers by year-end[1][5]. After initially withdrawing its local team in 2017 due to competition, BlaBlaCar has seen explosive growth since 2022, now accounting for about one-third of its global carpool passengers, driven largely by a young, mobile-first user base aged 18–34 who book 95% of trips via mobile app[1][3][5]. BlaBlaCar’s co-founder and CEO Nicolas Brusson highlighte

In a remarkable turnaround, India has emerged as BlaBlaCar's largest global market, surpassing France and Brazil. This shift is marked by a significant surge in usage, with BlaBlaCar expecting 20 million passengers in India by the end of 2025, a 50% increase from last year[1][7]. The company's resurgence in India reflects a broader trend of ride-sharing gaining traction worldwide, especially among younger demographics, with 70% of its users aged 18–34[3].

Today, BlaBlaCar announced that India has cemented its position as the company's leading global market, marking a significant turnaround from its previous departure in 2017. The platform now expects to serve 20 million passengers in India by the end of 2025, a 50% increase from last year, with daily peaks reaching over 100,000 passengers[1][5]. BlaBlaCar Co-founder and CEO Nicolas Brusson emphasized the strategic importance of India, reflecting the company's ambition to expand its shared travel offerings globally[5][7].

India has officially become BlaBlaCar’s largest global carpooling market, with a record 2 million passengers in August 2025 alone and projections of 20 million users by year-end—a 50% surge from 2024[1][3][5]. Following a failed initial entry in 2015 and a local retreat in 2017, BlaBlaCar’s explosive comeback has stunned industry analysts, with India now accounting for roughly 33% of the platform’s global carpool passengers and surpassing France and Brazil, which recorded 5.6 million and 14 million trips, respectively, as of September 2025[1][5]. “India, the market BlaBlaCar once walked away

In a remarkable turnaround, India has emerged as BlaBlaCar's largest global market, a position it has achieved despite the company initially withdrawing its local team in 2017. The Indian government has responded positively to this development, with the Minister clarifying that carpooling is not banned but requires permission, which could pave the way for further regulatory support for ride-sharing services like BlaBlaCar[14]. As of August 2025, BlaBlaCar served 2 million passengers in India, with projections of serving 20 million by the end of the year, marking a significant shift in travel behaviors[1][3].

India has become BlaBlaCar's largest global market as of August 2025, hitting a milestone of 2 million passengers in that month alone and projecting nearly 20 million passengers by the end of 2025, a 50% increase over 2024[1][5]. The platform now averages 1.1 million monthly active users in India, with peak daily passengers exceeding 100,000, driven largely by a young, mobile-first demographic where 95% of bookings are made via mobile apps[1][3][5]. Technically, BlaBlaCar’s rapid scalability in India is supported by its cloud-based platform and AI-driven product innovations under CTO Nicolas Salvy, which enable handling the surge i