Spain is a great place to explore and the main tourist destinations are well served with regular transport options. However, sometimes you want to get somewhere that is not well connected. Or, you want to get there at a time that regular transport options aren’t available. In situations like this, Blablacar is a tool you should keep in mind for travelling within Spain.
Blablacar is a very popular carpooling app that has over seven million users in Spain. That’s over 15% of the total population with that figure rising to 37% within the 18 to 35 age group.
It can be great for getting to places that don’t have trains or regular bus services. It can also get you places quicker and cheaper than other methods of travel.
You can use the app to search where you want to go and when. The app will show you any drivers that are making that trip around that time. These drivers are people who have got spare seats in their vehicles. They post the details of their trips and say how much they want to charge for each spare seat for the trip. If you only want to do a part of the trip, you will usually pay a reduced amount for the leg.
On the app you can see the type of car, maybe a picture of the driver as well as reviews or comments from previous passengers. So you can build up a bit of an idea of who your driver is and if you want to travel with them.
So, for example, you might be more comfortable travelling with a female driver or a driver in a certain age group.
The sort of people and trips you will see are:
Where you want to go doesn’t have to be their final destination, but they might go through the town you want to get to on their way. So they might offer a seat for their whole trip for Euros 20, but if you are going only a part of the trip it’ll be Euros 15.
At particular times you can find lots of potential rides to share. For example, as well as being famous for the Camino Santiago, Santiago de Compostela is a big University town. At the end of the week you have thousands of students and staff making their way back to their hometowns. This is especially true before the big holidays or end of term. Many of these will be driving and will have spare seats in their cars. Many will be travelling to smaller towns without good public transport. If that happens to be where you want to go, or anywhere along the way, you are in luck. At the end of the weekend or holidays, you will find lots of people making their way back to Santiago for the start of the week or term.
Of course, if you don’t speak Spanish, not every driver is going to be able to speak English. You will find that lots of people are happy to practise their English with you. Many have more than enough so that you can pass the time together in the car.
We have used Blablacar several times and have always enjoyed the trips. We’ve met new people, learnt about the lives of average Spaniards and had some great laughs along the way. Mostly we’ve found people to be very accommodating and helpful. But we have had one person who wouldn’t detour 2 kilometres towards the end of a 300-kilometre trip. Their reason? It wasn´t where they were going. I know I would have for them, but it takes all types. That last 2-kilometre walk seemed to take forever and needless to say, they got a very vanilla review. It’s important to keep in mind that this isn’t a taxi service. The drivers are offering a seat for a trip and they don’t have to change their plans if they don’t want to. But like almost everything, it doesn’t hurt to ask.
So next time you want to get somewhere in Spain and you are facing some transportation challenges, think about giving Blablacar a try.