The BlaBlaCar ridesharing platform has experienced this Wednesday a surge of more than 150% in the registration of new drivers after the railway accident, with no increases detected in the average prices of trips between Madrid and Andalucía, which that day hovered around 29 euros.
This was stated in remarks to Europa Press by the director of BlaBlaCar Iberia, Florent Bannwarth, who indicated that passengers’ booking requests to travel between Madrid and the south of Spain have multiplied by ten, while trip postings by drivers have done so by six.
The company executive has pointed out that, at the moment, demand clearly exceeds supply and that around 80% of the available trips when searching for a ride between Madrid and Andalucía appear full. However, he stressed that new seats continue to be added constantly and anticipated greater mobilization of drivers heading into the weekend.
Regarding prices, Bannwarth has assured that, for now, the company does not see variations in the average amounts. As he recalled, BlaBlaCar’s pricing policy "does not change depending on external events", but is based on a collaborative economy model in which users share the costs of the journey.
The platform proposes a fare according to the kilometers of the route and allows the driver to adjust it slightly upward or downward within limits that are not modified by extraordinary circumstances. "That recommended price also does not change, it is the same today as yesterday as it was a week ago," he stressed.
Along these lines, he specified that there is a maximum price which, as he explained, adapts to the legal framework and guarantees that the driver does not make a profit and that the trip remains within the collaborative economy.
When questioned about management fees and possible changes following the railway accident, the director of BlaBlaCar Iberia insisted that "the entire pricing policy remains the same."
MORE DEMAND THAN SUPPLY
Bannwarth highlighted the strong increase in activity, especially on the routes between Madrid and the south of Spain, as well as the arrival of new drivers who are posting their free seats for those who need a transport alternative.
"Right now, yesterday and today, there is more demand than supply", the executive explained, who noted that drivers are progressively getting activated and expressed his confidence that seat availability will improve over the next few days.
"People are organizing themselves, people are mobilizing themselves", Bannwarth stated, who foresees that activity growth figures will continue to rise as the weekend approaches.
Regarding availability, he detailed that, when carrying out a search between Madrid and Andalucía, nearly 80% of the trips already appear full, although he stressed that this is a "dynamic" supply.
"Every hour that passes there are new drivers who join and publish a new trip", he indicated. For this reason, he recommended that users who need to travel check the platform frequently, given that "every half hour, every hour there are new trips", although he warned that the seats "fill up very quickly".
At the same time, the company has launched a call to its community for those who plan to travel and have empty seats to post their routes and help facilitate the trips of people looking for another transport option.
Bannwarth explained that the platform cannot directly set the specific price chosen by each driver within the established margins, although it has detected a mobilization of users who are posting their trips with the minimum amount to offer "more supportive" journeys.
Likewise, he recalled that there is also a lower limit on the price that drivers can apply, so that the trips remain within the cost-sharing model.