Carpooling.com
Carpooling.com was a European carpooling service that connected drivers with passengers to share rides. It started in 2001 in Munich as mitfahrgelegenheit.de, founded by Stefan Weber, Matthias Siedler, and Dr. Michael Reinicke. The goal was affordable travel, environmental benefits, and meeting new people.
- Growth and reach: By 2003 it was Germany’s largest carpooling site. Revenue came from partnerships with ADAC, Deutsche Bahn, ProSiebenSat.1, and advertising. It expanded to Austria and Switzerland, then to France, Italy, Poland, Greece, the United Kingdom, and Spain.
- Expansion and funding: In 2009 it received venture funding from Earlybird and continued growing in new countries. In 2011 it rebranded as carpooling.com, with Markus Barnikel as CEO.
- Scale and partnerships: By 2012 it was a global leader, moving about 1 million people per month across 40 countries. It teamed up with UNEP to promote sustainable mobility, and Daimler invested $10 million to help launches, including in the U.S. A Uber partnership followed in 2013.
- Sale and end: In 2015, carpooling.com was sold to its competitor BlaBlaCar and folded into the company.
What the service offered: drivers could post available seats, riders could search and book rides, choose travel companions, set meeting points and prices, and pay online. Trips could be rated by both sides. It worked on computers and mobile devices, supported several languages, and even linked rides with trains, buses, or planes to reach the final destination.
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 21:29 (CET).