Our researches focus on users of collaborative platforms, including BlaBlaCar. Our hypothesis is that the qualitative method of the ideal type used in sociology can provide more conclusive results than quantitative economic analysis. We determined two ideal types as defined by sociologist Max Weber and compared our results with a recent quantitative economic study. It turns out that the qualitative approach allows a deeper and more comprehensive approach of collaborative platforms and takes a better account of social and ecological aspects. It is likely to provide decision-makers with a wider insight on major issues of collaborative platforms for their users.