Carpooling is when two or more people share a ride. Carpooling services like BlaBlaCar facilitate carpooling by making it easy for travelers to find a nearby ride. The most common carpooling use cases are long-distance trips and commuting to work — two very different scenarios that require different solutions and carpooling business models.
People often confuse carpooling with ridesharing, but these concepts differ. With carpooling, the driver is not a professional and contributes to the cost of the trip. With ridesharing services, the passenger hires the driver, who is paid for their services, and ridesharing companies get a share of the transaction. The ridesharing market is taking off too, but it is important to understand the distinction.