[aktarcar]

I feel its a great initiative. I believe it would be much better if they had customised it more for Indian scenario. For instance, just having a rating system and Facebook sign up doesn't build the required security to get into an inter-city ride.
First and foremost I cannot trust a stranger's driving abilities. Also dealing with the horrors of getting into a tricky situation with a goon is terrifying.

I would appreciate it a lot more if they target specific companies from a region or college/universities and making payments at the start of the journey a compulsion.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by aktarcar

I feel its a great initiative. I believe it would be much better if they had customised it more for Indian scenario. For instance, just having a rating system and Facebook sign up doesn't build the required security to get into an inter-city ride.
First and foremost I cannot trust a stranger's driving abilities. Also dealing with the horrors of getting into a tricky situation with a goon is terrifying.

Interesting. Agreed. They should do and think more - currently its good enough for Europe - India requires more creative thoughts on safety.

Your point on driving abilities is valid. But then this portal isnt aimed for driving enthusiasts - its meant for people on a limited budget who want to get from point A to B in more comfort/less hassle than a bus.

Having said that, I think its interesting. I would like to try it out for sure. It seems there are enough offers in their system already:
http://www.blablacar.in/ride-sharing/chennai/bengaluru/

I would be quite interested to offer a ride next time I'm doing a solo drive

They even have stuff like this:
http://www.blablacar.in/search?fn=bengaluru&tn=delhi BLR->DEL!!

EDIT: Offered a drive over the coming weekend. Let's see if there's any "demand"

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

EDIT: Offered a drive over the coming weekend. Let's see if there's any "demand"

Do they say anything about insurance? Based on few experiences shared on this forum, following things can be tricky (specially since you are getting paid):

1. A car was stolen, insurance company refused payout since chauffeur has picked up passengers.
2. If there is an untoward incident, insurance will not cover passenger due to "commercial" use. Recent thread on insurance issue with passenger. In that case, insurance had lapsed, in this case insurance might not be applicable if company finds about payment.

[speedmiester]

While the thought and idea is good, insurance companies in India will frown upon such things and will categorically deny claims as any private car is not intended for commercial use.

What about when an untoward incident occurs such as one this BHPian is facing.

Co-passenger-dies-car-insurance-expired-advice

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Do they say anything about insurance? Based on few experiences shared on this forum, following things can be tricky (specially since you are getting paid):

1. A car was stolen, insurance company refused payout since chauffeur has picked up passengers.
2. If there is an untoward incident, insurance will not cover passenger due to "commercial" use. Recent thread on insurance issue with passenger. In that case, insurance had lapsed, in this case insurance might not be applicable if company finds about payment.

Good, let me try putting the amount as zero :-)

This is anyways a 140km drive to pondicherry. It is not any sort of commercial use if no money is transacted, right? I will clearly write that in an email, and ask them to send me an email confirming waiver of any indemnity whatsoever under any circumstance (assuming I get a co-passenger in the first place!) and that this is just a friendly offer, but not a "commercial ride"

Its just a simple portal - bare minimum information, just the usual connect to FB, verify phone number with SMS / email verification , car and personal habits description etc.

Technically if I were to put a monetary value on my time, i'm better off by not ride sharing. But hey, this is just a one time experiment, so its okay

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Good, let me try putting the amount as zero :-)

I think that should take care of the risks. It should make question of of "commercial use" a black-and-white one and not leave that open to interpretation.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Its just a simple portal - bare minimum information, just the usual connect to FB, verify phone number with SMS / email verification , car and personal habits description etc.

I think this should work out in vast majority of cases. The same emails etc can become problems in case of unfortunate incidents.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

I think that should take care of the risks. It should make question of of "commercial use" a black-and-white one and not leave that open to interpretation.



I think this should work out in vast majority of cases. The same emails etc can become problems in case of unfortunate incidents.

I wrote to them. They responded in 25 minutes pointing me to:
http://www.blablacar.in/faq/question...rance-or-taxes

Using BlaBlaCar will not affect your car insurance.
The manner of operation of the private vehicle for car sharing as proposed by BlaBlaCar is not for hire or reward and is without any motive for profit. Therefore the trip offered by the car owner will not affect the insurance policy obtained by such car owner. According to Section 146 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (MVA), all car owners need to mandatorily obtain an insurance policy which is compliant with the MVA. Section 147 of the MVA specifies that the an insurance policy must insure a car owner against any liability incurred by him in respect of death of , or injury to any person arising out of the use of a vehicle. BlaBlaCar recommends that all the car owners have in force, a Comprehensive Insurance Policy which covers the risk of the occupants of the car to the extent of the liability incurred by the car owner.
BlaBlaCar limits number of seats and prices, scrupulously fulfilling the above requirement regarding profit: car owners’ costs are only offset and no profit can be made. Car owners with any concern are also encouraged to check directly with their car insurer, as terms and conditions of individual car insurance providers may vary over time.

The problem is that I cannot set any fare at zero. Let me do it all the same.

I'll do this one #ForSachin

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

I wrote to them. They responded in 25 minutes pointing me to:

Don't think this would be the view of Insurance company.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

I'll do this one #ForSachin

Have fun with the ride.

[zombiedriver]

I found this concept very interesting. Yes it does come with it's own risk in terms of driver capabilities and trust but i recently used the app and found a ride and the car owner rightly pointed out that in the car owner is also equally at risk picking up strangers. I don't think a lot of people offer rides with a profit motive. In this particular case he said he generally limits it to one person just to break the monotony of driving alone but some time he does end up filling the car because there are so many inquiries and he finds it difficult to say No.

For me it was a pleasant experience and I think i might try offering a ride the next time i have space in the car.

[scopriobharath]

Is there some advantage of BlaBlaCar that someone sees, when compared to normal buses.

Chennai bangallore is anywhere betweem 600 - 900 but we aer getting say Airavat Club class for the same rate. Other than reaching early (probably an hour max) and also availablity of seats, is there any other advantage of BlaBlaCar over public transport?

I assume, it is risky to ferry an unknown passenger for 1 km or 1000 kms.

[zombiedriver]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

Is there some advantage of BlaBlaCar that someone sees, when compared to normal buses.

Chennai bangallore is anywhere betweem 600 - 900 but we aer getting say Airavat Club class for the same rate. Other than reaching early (probably an hour max) and also availablity of seats, is there any other advantage of BlaBlaCar over public transport?

I assume, it is risky to ferry an unknown passenger for 1 km or 1000 kms.

Well the advantage i see is not on the regular routes where Bus service is good such as the Chennai-Bangalore route. I traveled from Karur to Bangalore, In this route there are not as many buses available. The other route i frequently travel on is Bangalore-Pondicherry. Every bus from Bangalore goes via Tiruvanamalai which is a back breaking experience to say the least. There is only 1 Airavat service on that route which is a day bus and it defeats the purpose of a weekend trip as it starts here in Bangalore at 10.30 am and reaches Pondicherry at 6.30 pm. Even the train service on this particular route is not the most convenient and it becomes a pain if the trip is not planned in advance. Traveling by Tatkal is more expensive than Bla Bla. So this makes sense where public transport is not the most convenient option.

The second advantage i think is we do get to meet people from different walks of life. I know trust is a big problem but i believe that use of the app more frequently would result in more ratings for everyone and that might help in a small way to solve the trust issue. There is an option to rate the driver and the driver has an option to rate his travel buddies so it works both ways.

[hserus]

Blablacar now seems to have a desi clone as well

https://www.tripda.in/

Same rideshare (though they call it carpooling) and a facility to rate drivers / pax

Typical web 2.x snazzy looking and tablet optimized site like they all are.

[nijelj]

Just finished a trip to kerala and back. Both ways I used bla bla car friends. Awesome experience, on the way back, I even got to drive a 2011 cruze!

The background of the co travelers vary widely, so chances are every trip will be spent talking and learning new things. Atleast, I did.

[silversteed]

Bit the bullet and had put my weekend trip on BlaBlaCar.in, as I was driving alone. Got decent company in either direction. However, I did have an element of concern regarding my safety when I put the ride in BlaBlaCar. But the FB profiles helped trace the people and I managed to verify their identities through common friends before asking them to tag along. From the many requests received, I was able to pick only those I could verify. The bright side is, I got to meet new people and came to know that there are regulars who share rides over weekends, thanks to apps like this as well as their office message boards. To me, it looks like a win-win situation for those who have to drive alone (otherwise) and to those who do not manage to get bus or train tickets. Hope I don't have to change my opinion

[manduvindupondu]

Scopriobharath, you have raised very valuable and precise points. Appreciate it.
Mutual trust is the key in these Customer-Customer engagements.
Each of us can try to enrol/take part in extra-curricular clubs/activities such as adventure club/quizzing/marathon during our free time , which will increase our friends/trusted acquaintances to some extent.
This is in continuation to the idea that we have mutual trust among T-BHP ians.
But for this to happen, our daily survival and life needs to smoothen up. Life in India is a daily struggle in many aspects. I see lots of improvement thought.


Blabla car is an experiment in developing countries, would like to see some positive news emerging. A mutual trust based verification system (like company email, referral by common friends etc) may help.
Excited and fingers crossed.