Last night saw the launch of SNCF Connect, the SNCF's new digital application and website designed to meet all travellers' mobility needs, including, of course, rail travel. While the Ouigo.com site is still operational, Ouisncf web customers are now being redirected to the new Sncf-connect.com website with a striking black background, just like the application. The railway company's aim is to make its customers want to travel by train again at a time when the Covid-19 epidemic has had a major impact on trafficThe aim is to double rail's share of transport in France to 20 % by 2030. Digital sales are expected to rise to €6.5 billion by 2025, compared with €4.3 billion last year.
" SNCF Connect is an application at the service of all travellers whatever their journey, wherever they are, with the aim of offering a simple digital solution with the best fares." said Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs. The project took a year to develop and involved some 300 people from SNCF teams and French Tech start-ups. The tool was tested by 4,000 SNCF customers and staff over several months.
A constantly evolving application
Thanks to artificial intelligence, 100 million itineraries are available on SNCF Connect, a tool that incorporates the various existing applications. Passengers can plan, buy and exchange tickets on TGV Inoui, Ouigo, international companies in which SNCF is a shareholder (Eurostar, Thalys, Lyria...), TER and Intercités services. As usual, customers will be able to buy and renew their regional cards and season tickets, as well as order a taxi or hire a car. Local services are also available for recharging your Navigo pass and buying Ile-de-France Mobilité electronic tickets (T+ tickets). " We offer the best in long- and short-distance services" says the CEO. As a result, it is possible to issue requests to move " canvassing "This is the case even if the passenger is unable to purchase all the tickets required for the journey.
A number of new features have been added to make life easier for users, such as the possibility of paying for several tickets at once by placing them in a virtual basket. The application will be regularly enriched with adding payment methods (Paypal, Apple Pay) and, in the first instance, dematerialised holiday vouchers. New services will also be added, such as free-floating bike and scooter hire in major cities and, internationally, the reservation of Ouigo trains in Spain, where the SNCF has launched against Renfe in 2021. " There will be no competing offers to SNCF in France" said Christophe Fanichet. So there's no question of selling Trenitalia or other future rail operators running on its turf.
TGV Inoui Pro services on SNCF Connect
Business travellers using Business Première or Pro 2nde tickets will find all elements of their travel policy The TGV Inoui Pro app will also offer all the services previously available on the TGV Inoui Pro app, including their favourite maps and routes, subscriptions and loyalty programmes. Personalised offers have also been added, such as "express return" if passengers have booked a single ticket without picking up their return ticket. L'Sending information in the event of disruption or change of train configuration, for example, is obviously maintained. The exchange of Thalys and Eurostar tickets should be improved in the future. " This can be complicated depending on the ticket price." said David Nedzela, SNCF Connect Customer Director.
However, the other applications developed by SNCF will not disappear overnight. " SNCF Connect replaces all and none of the "SNCF" applications.said Anne Pruvot, Managing Director of the SNCF Connect & Tech subsidiary. She added: " SNCF is set to become the single point of entry for all journeys with SNCF. However, users have acquired habits with certain applications that will continue. But all the services they offer will be included in SNCF Connect. Passengers will therefore be able to keep the practices and habits they have acquired on TGV Inoui Pro." . As a reminder, the Ouisncf application had been downloaded 23 million times and the SNCF Assistant 16 million times.
