From exit to expansion: India becomes BlaBlaCar's biggest market
26 Oct 2025

BlaBlaCar, the long-distance carpooling service, has witnessed a remarkable turnaround in India.

The company, which had closed its Indian office in 2017 due to poor traction, is now its largest market globally.

This year alone, BlaBlaCar is expected to serve around 20 million passengers in India, nearly a 50% jump from last year.

The growth comes without any marketing or local team and is mainly driven by word-of-mouth and digital payment adoption among middle-class Indians.

Digital payment revolution and infrastructure improvements
Digital boom

India's digital payment revolution, led by the government-backed Unified Payments Interface (UPI), has contributed significantly to BlaBlaCar's growth.

In September alone, UPI processed some 19.6 billion transactions worth ₹24.9 trillion ($284 billion).

The country's rising car ownership and improved road infrastructure have also played a role in connecting smaller towns with major cities, further boosting BlaBlaCar's services.

Surge in user base and trip completions
User surge

BlaBlaCar has seen a massive jump in its user base from 4.3 million in 2022 to an estimated 20 million this year.

The app has an average of 1.1 million monthly active users in India, with August seeing a peak of around 1.5 million users.

Passengers make up about three-quarters of the user base while drivers account for the remaining quarter, according to the company data.

Future plans and local presence
Trip expansion

BlaBlaCar has also seen the highest trip growth in India, with 13.5 million trips completed by September 30. This is a jump from 9.1 million during the same period last year.

Despite not generating revenue in India yet, drivers on its platform earned around ₹713 million ($8 million) in August alone.

The company plans to set up a local office and hire its first employee by the end of this year or early next year to further strengthen its presence.