Despite the fact that the legalities of car sharing were recently up in the air as taxi drivers in Madrid and Barcelona protested and went on strike in defiance of this concept, travelling with strangers who are going to the same destination as you, or carpooling, is now almost as popular and normal as catching a bus or train.
With legal problems now ironed out, car sharing is once again at the forefront of people’s minds when travelling long distances with a limited budget. Blablacar is the company on most people’s lips, but there are others that may be more suited to your needs.
It’s not a new idea
Carpooling or car sharing is not a new idea. In fact, it’s been around for about 40 years. It was common in northern European countries to share cars for the journey to work, or if several friends or colleagues were travelling long distances at the same time. What started this idea was the petrol crisis in the 70s when prices soared and people couldn’t afford to fill their tanks and carry out their usual journeys.
Nowadays, while the price of petrol is often a considering factor, it’s not the only one. People these days may well be able to afford the petrol, yet they choose to car share for environmental and ecological motives.
Born in France
Blablacar was born in France about five years ago as a solution when that Christmas all the train, bus and aeroplane tickets to travel from Paris to outside regions had either sold out or were priced way to high. Nevertheless, it was the subsequent prolonged public transport strike that really boosted car sharing as a reliable and popular method of transport.
From this point, the owner of Blablacar set to regulate this business legally and expand outside of France.
A few years later, Blablacar arrived in Spain and was warmly welcomed as many Spaniards struggled with rising petrol prices, extortionate toll booth fees, public transport fare increases and the economic crisis.
It wasn’t long before Blablacar became a huge hit – to the point where bus and train companies began to get worried.
Who’s out there now?
As the concept of car sharing became more and more popular, other companies sprang into action, although Blablacar is still the best known.
After being deemed illegal in Spain by the Government, the company was forced to make slight changes to the way it works and now asks for a small commission for managing and admin charges. The additional amount is around 15% of the amount given to the driver for petrol, but is relatively small and only a couple of euro at the most. This money will go to the Government as tax.
Amovens
Amovens is another popular car sharing company, who is now making a big show of the fact that it doesn’t charge any extra commission to set up a journey between travellers, and payments can be made in cash on the day. With Blablacar clients now have to pay by credit card in advance.
However, Amovens drivers are asked to take out an insurance that would cover any passengers in case of an accident.
The company Carpooling is very similar in that matter.
Shareling
If you are looking to carry out an international journey outside of Spain, for example, from Spain to India, a good alternative is Shareling. This company helps you find people who want to carry out the same route as you. It may be the client with a car who is looking for people to take with him, or the client could be without car and is looking for a lift.
RoadSharing
With RoadSharing it is possible to travel all across Europe. The only inconvenience is that all communication between driver and passenger is done through the platform.
Mambocar
This company offers cars for rent without a driver, like a car-hire company. However, all the cars on offer are privately owned and the owners are on holiday elsewhere. This means that when you travel to any city, Mambocar will rent you out someone else’s car. The owners of the car you are using, could be in another destination using someone else’s car.
All of the above companies are fully registered and legal. They all have websites and have been operating for a number of years.
Source: www.20minutos.es
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