“Today, three quarters of French people drive to the office and in 95% of cases, they are alone in their car,” said Tom Attias to The Independent Opinion, head of external relations at Karos. From this statement, Tristan Croisé and Olivier Binet have therefore created a carpooling application fr 2014. Karos’ objective: “to create a soft, fair and flexible mobility“, adds the manager. The concept is simple: all you have to do is download the application on your phone, create an account, enter your home-work address and hours. teams then offer users all the drivers on their way. Toulouse, some drivers to offer even the ride to their passengers.

100 euros savings per month per driver

If the principle is based on that of classic carpooling applications, the Karos business model is however different and wants to be “just“, assures Tom Attias. At Karos, it is the local authorities, in particular Tisséo in Toulouse, which finances the service. In addition, concretely, in Toulouse, a passenger pays on average 1.70 euros for a journey of less than 25 km, and the driver receives 2 euros per trip. “The rest is paid for by the community,” explains the young man.

This represents more than 600,000 euros of purchasing power in addition for passengers and almost 100 euros economy per month per driver. And while in 2021, There was a 25% increase in fuel prices, some Toulouse residents then decided tooffer this trip. They are called the “valet yard“. And instead of touching the total cost of the trip, he only touches the amount paid by the commission.” A way of encouraging those who have to tighten their belts to test this user-friendly and ecological mode of transport, “adds- he does.

Ecology and social bond

A surge of solidarity which can therefore be explained for various reasons. “There are those who do it by ecological conviction. Getting as many passengers into their car as possible is a way of limiting the number of vehicles on the roads and therefore acting for the planet “, adds Tom Attias. Indeed, since its launch in Toulouse in 2018, 245,000 trips have been carried out. Each trip is 3.5 kg less CO2, be one reduction of 800,000 kg of C02 in total, according to the Karos group. And these numbers should increase with this free offer.

Besides, apart from the ecological aspect, it also underlines the character friendliness of this mode of transport. “We had many testimonies. Most tell us that they met people they would never have met before. A lady even said thank you, because thanks to Karos, she met the person she wife today “. A means, therefore, of recreate social ties in a period when it is rightly undermined. “We were so isolated during these 18 months. We all want to rediscover what it is to be able to sing or laugh in a car,” he admits.

The acclaimed home-work journey

If in France, on the account of 500,000 users, in Toulouse, they are 68,000. “And these are the people who go to work every day, between 7am and 10am, and in the evening who use it,” explains Tom Attias. Indeed, if the application also offers weekend trips, these are home-to-work court trips which are popular with Toulouse residents. And especially Toulouse-Blagnac axis. Karos was notably part of a experimentation as part of the European project Commute to reduce traffic on this often congested route. It ended last June, but the co-founder claimed in an interview with The Midday Dispatch last March that the journeys made have avoided “1 million km of cars”.

And to further encourage this mode of carpooling, Karos has also launched a other mobility aid device: “3 million carpools”. “I offer 100% of journeys for 6 months to signatory companies such as Airbus, Renault, Safran or CNES. But also to students, like those of the ISAE Supaero campus “, concludes Tom Attias.