Sweeping Europe is a new form of sustainable transportation. Don’t own a car, going farther than your bike or feet will take you, train too expensive? Go to the BlaBlaCar website and find out who’s going your way. The service is now available in France, England, Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Russia and the Ukraine.

Not only is BlaBla convenient, it’s also social, there you are in a seat sharing conversation besides a ride. Drivers have member profiles to share their interests, occupation, spoken languages and musical preferences. What’s unique is the BlaBla preference which allows members to indicate their level of in-car chattiness: “BlaBlaBla” if you like to talk about life, the universe & everything or just “Bla” if you prefer to sleep or watch the scenery go by.

Meeting points are displayed on an interactive map. No need to make lots of calls describing exactly where you are, it’s been agreed in advance, and you know the model and color of the car (photo published of car and driver), so you’ll have no problem finding each other. Even the amount of baggage allowed and how many passengers can be accommodated is indicated.

BlaBlaCar has an automatic price calculator that suggests a price per passenger, that drivers can then adjust. Prices are capped so that drivers only offset their running costs (without making a profit), in accordance with regulation. They are also non-negotiable, making it perfectly straightforward to plan your car share, and transparent for both parties.

Are you allergic to cat hair? Don’t like smoking? Do you always listen to music while driving? You can add all these preferences to your BlaBlaCar profile. Clearly communicating them helps your passengers know the rules before hopping in, so you’ll both be able to enjoy the ride.

BlaBla coming to the U.S.? Hope so.