Thursday, April 16th
As people are urged to stay home for their safety and the safety of others, BlaBlaCar asked itself and its members what its global community could do to help. Following an internal hackathon dedicated to finding solutions to the Covid-19 crisis, BlaBlaCar is launching BlaBlaHelp, the BlaBlaCar community app to support each other with grocery shopping during COVID-19. The service is free of charge.
For many people, in particular the most vulnerable, going out to buy groceries can be difficult in the current context. Yet someone nearby might be willing to help.
So over the past seven days BlaBlaCar designed a brand new map-based app for members to help each other out purchasing basic necessities. The app allows its users to find trusted helpers or offer their help to neighbors. In France alone, BlaBlaHelp has the potential to allow 17 million people to support each other.
How does it work?
- Download the BlaBlaHelpfree app.
- Login with your BlaBlaCar account or create a secured one.
- Members who want to volunteer can declare themselves as Helpers.
- Members seeking help – or knowing someone who does – will search for Helpers in their neighborhood, check their trusted profile, and connect with them
We remind members using BlaBlaHelp to strictly respect government recommendations on social distancing when helping out their neighbours.
Members supporting each other are not new at BlaBlaCar. Our community already counts 2000 BlaBlaHelpers, power users who support other BlaBlaCar members with the use of the service via a dedicated chatbox. They do so in their free time and on a voluntary basis to help develop a global carpooling community. The new BlaBlaHelp app builds on this history of fraternity and broadens the way the community can support each other in this trying crisis.
BlaBlaHelp is available as of today as a beta version and for free on Android and iOS.
A project that emerged from a BlaBlaCar #CodingNight
BlaBlaHelp was created during an internal hackathon. Twice a year, BlaBlaCar organizes an internal hackathon – two days of code and fun. During this special edition rebranded into #CovidFight, BlaBlaCar conducted a call for ideas across its team and member community. Then more than 50 volunteers worked on internal and external projects to leverage existing BlaBlaCar assets in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus.
Since the beginning of the crisis, BlaBlaCar has been in regular contact with authorities in order to share official guidelines to its members. As the crisis worsened, BlaBlaCar asked its community to stop travelling unless absolutely necessary and took proactive measures to restrict usage including the temporary shutdown of BlaBlaBus network and restricting the number of seats that can be offered in a carpool.
