Started at a slow pace with ticket sales for bus last January, followed by the railway company Italo in August, Kombo is making its arrival on the market official at the start of the 2023 academic year. Italian market with the option of booking online seven languages. " We have gone from €30,000 in sales to €150,000 per month over this period. we are aiming to reach the million euro mark in monthly sales" says Matthieu Marquenet, the managing director and co-founder in 2016 of this multimodal platform that markets train, bus and plane tickets as well as a range of carpooling based on partnerships. As in Franceshe will find Trainline as its main competitor in this market. Matthieu Marquenet adds: " Le The Italian market is already very open to competition with face to Trenitalia Italo, which has a 30% market share on routes serving some thirty towns, as well as a number of bus operators." . This rail competition has led to 40 % reduction in tariffs on lines where both operators are present. In the meantime 2026 and the SNCF Ouigo that Kombo immediately.
Spain in the starting-blocks
After Italy, Kombo's development teams are already working on theSpain with the opening of sales next January by Renfe, the Spanish railway company. " Technological developments are underway that will enable us to offer the full range of the Renfe in Spain as well as in France on the two existing lines" says Matthieu Marquenet. However, sales have already been made to this destination, with Kombo distributing tickets for Ouigo Spain andIryo taking into account its agreements and connections to the respective inventories of the SNCF and Trenitalia. For the same reasons, Kombo already offers the international rail services ofEurostarof Thalys andAlleo. The addition of the Deutsche Bahn for Germany should be the next stone in the building, after the Renfeconfides the founder. These developments give him hope for a business volume of €35m by 2023, " Kombo triples its sales figures from one year to the next" .
Business passengers discovering Kombo
" Our clientele is primarily made up of young people who compare prices and choose their company on the basis of the best rates available at the time." he observes. He does, however, note a small proportion of business travellers since Kombo introduced the download invoices and sending them by email. " They are self-employed and small structures such as law firms or consultancies". The platform does not yet have any contracts with companies. "But we're seriously thinking about it!" concludes Matthieu Marquenet.
