European ride-sharing app BlaBlaCar may zip across Indian streets

European ride-sharing app BlaBlaCar, which raised $100 million this week, could soon be zipping across the remote towns and streets of India. While the likes of San Francisco-based Uber and homegrown TaxiforSure and Olacabs are battling for primacy in the urban areas, BlaBlaCar targets long-distance travel. It connects people looking for a ride with drivers who have empty seats so they can share their costs.

"We are looking at all large emerging markets, including Turkey, Brazil and India, and see no reason why what we do would not work in those markets," said Nicolas Brusson, cofounder of the eight-year-old company.

The company has served eight million riders in 12 countries till date.

"In fact, the impact of what we do, building a sustainable, low-cost transport network, might end up being much bigger in these markets than in Western Europe where we started," he said. Index Ventures led the latest round of funding, with existing investors Accel Partners, ISAI, and Lead Edge Capital on board.