BlaBlaCar Integrates Its App into ChatGPT

As a pioneering platform in applying AI to the mobility sector, BlaBlaCar now lets users discover trips simply by describing their needs in natural language directly from the ChatGPT interface. To date, no other platform allows comparing three modes of transportation (carpooling, bus, and train) in a single conversation and continuing the dialogue with the assistant to refine the search.

This integration will grant users the following advantages:

1. Conversational search: A new experience for finding carpooling, bus, and train trips in a conversational way.
2. Full functionality: This first version enables searching routes, selecting available offers, and viewing details, with redirection to BlaBlaCar to complete the booking.
3. European leadership: BlaBlaCar stands among the first European companies to deploy a dedicated app within the ChatGPT ecosystem.
4. Deep AI strategy: The use of machine learning has been a central pillar for BlaBlaCar for more than a decade to optimize driver–rider matching.

BlaBlaCar and AI: A Decade-Long Track Record

Long before the rise of generative AI, BlaBlaCar was already investing in artificial intelligence to improve connections between drivers and passengers. Over the years, the company has developed various ML-based systems spanning the matching process and fraud prevention, to personalized experiences or large-scale localization. One of the most notable examples is the Boost booking system, launched in 2018. This feature uses machine learning to smartly generate and select meeting points with a slight detour for the driver, thereby increasing riders’ chances of finding a trip.

It is a model trained on data from several years, capable of predicting how likely it is that a driver will accept a modified trip request, taking into account temporal, geographic, and behavioral criteria.

“Artificial intelligence is a strategic bet that BlaBlaCar has maintained for more than ten years. We have built our expertise step by step, starting from real operational problems: optimizing the connection between drivers and passengers, fighting fraud, and personalizing the experience at scale. This solid foundation is what enables us today to explore generative AI with confidence and ambition,” said Nicolas Salvy, Chief Technology Officer of BlaBlaCar.

Thanks to AI, the acceptance rate of Boost routes has grown by 30%, increasing the platform’s relevance for its users. In Spain, BlaBlaCar has connected almost 7,000 of the near 8,000 peninsular municipalities in the last year, i.e., 87% of municipalities in Spain have had at least one connection thanks to carpooling. This milestone has been achieved thanks to Boost technology, by which 45% of the platform’s trips nationwide are now taking place with origin or destination at an intermediate stop along routes originally posted by drivers.

A New Way to Travel: Through Conversation

With this integration, BlaBlaCar makes a decisive step toward improving access to its service. Users no longer need to navigate between filters or categories: simply describe what they need in natural language, whether in writing or voice.

Thus, a user can request, for example: “I’m looking for a Madrid-Valencia trip this Friday afternoon” and receive in seconds a curated selection of available trips across carpool, bus, and train. The interaction continues smoothly: “Are pets allowed?” or “Does this route offer immediate booking?” At each step, the assistant relies on the conversation context to refine its answers and anticipate user needs.

This first version of the app covers the basic functionalities:

• Smart search: Selecting offers by date and applying filters via natural language.
• Details lookup: Specific information about the chosen trip.
• Booking completion: Secure redirection to BlaBlaCar to complete payment and manage the user account.

This integration is made possible by the direct interconnection of BlaBlaCar’s catalog with ChatGPT. Specifically, when a user makes a search in ChatGPT, the model queries BlaBlaCar’s catalog in real time and presents contextualized results directly in the conversation. It’s the combination of ChatGPT’s natural language understanding and BlaBlaCar’s rich inventory that makes the experience smooth and relevant.

A Trailblazing Position in a Rapidly Evolving Ecosystem

In both Spain and the rest of Europe, BlaBlaCar is among the first companies to offer an app accessible in ChatGPT, reinforcing its role as a driver in exploring the uses of generative AI applied to the mobility and travel sector.

This initiative is part of a broader vision: a global travel platform accessible to everyone, anytime. Whether from BlaBlaCar’s own app, through a search engine, or, now, via a conversational assistant.

“With more than 29 million active members annually, BlaBlaCar’s goal has always been to reduce barriers that prevent new users from taking the plunge into carpooling. This integration with ChatGPT follows that same logic: meeting travelers where they already are and offering them the best mode of transportation at the exact moment they need it. It’s a new doorway for an audience that may have never tried carpooling and could arrive at it naturally through conversation,” said Benjamin Retourné, Chief Product Officer of BlaBlaCar.