Gopaxo

Travel guides

Long-distance carpooling: BlaBlaCar, Mobicoop…

Carpooling is the most flexible and often the cheapest way to cross France or Europe: 8 million active BlaBlaCar members, hundreds of thousands of trips published every week. Gopaxo integrates these offers into its multimodal searches to show you when they beat the train or the bus.

The main platforms

  • BlaBlaCar — European number 1, >100 million members in 22 countries, star ratings, online payment.
  • Mobicoop — French commission-free platform (cooperative model), ideal for short regional trips.
  • Local Facebook and WhatsApp groups — practical for very local routes.

How much does carpooling cost?

The average fare is around ~6 euro cents per km for the passenger, i.e. €24 Paris–Lyon (400 km) or €45 Paris–Marseille (775 km). This price covers a contribution to the driver's fuel and toll costs (BlaBlaCar caps the price to ensure the trip is not profitable for the driver, in line with regulations).

Safety and trust

BlaBlaCar requires verification of the driver's identity, public star ratings, online payment (anti-fraud) and an integrated messaging system. Always check the reviews left by previous passengers, confirm the meeting point by message before departure and favour drivers with the «Ambassador» profile.

Carpooling, bus or train?

Carpooling is faster than the bus, cheaper than the train, and extremely flexible regarding pickup/drop-off points (specific address). On the other hand, it depends on a driver's availability on your date. Always compare all three via Gopaxo. See also the bus and train pages.

Most frequent questions about Gopaxo

Is carpooling safe?

Platforms like BlaBlaCar verify driver identities, display reviews from previous passengers and secure online payment. In practice, carpooling has a very low incident rate. Check ratings and prefer drivers with many completed trips.

What is the average price of a carpool?

Around 6 euro cents per kilometre in France — i.e. €20 to €30 for Paris–Lyon or €40 to €50 for Paris–Marseille. BlaBlaCar prices are capped by the platform to remain a contribution to costs and not a commercial service.