The launch of the SNCF Connect app in January 2022 was complicated. How would you assess it one year on?
Arnaud Coiffard - The year was divided into three phases. The first, for three months, was to sort out bugs that may have existed in order to arrive at a technical stability of the platform. The second involved enrich the latter with functionalities that were not present on OUIsncf. Finally, the third was the development of a major offer in terms of mobility in urban transport in Ile-de-France and in a twenty or so towns in France. The good news is that this changeover and the technical difficulties at the start have not led to a drop in our market share compared with our competitors. On the contrary, 2022 has been an excellent year, with 1 billion visits and 200 million tickets soldThat's the equivalent of seven full Stades de France every day. SNCF Connect accounts for a large part of SNCF Voyageurs' turnover. These figures and this massive volume show that the service was well adaptedIt also shows that SNCF Connect does not just sell train tickets. A third of the audience is interested in services, passenger information, route planning, etc. The subjects of discussion that may have existed at the launch, such as the black background - bearing in mind that it is always possible to switch to a light background - and the search mode, are no longer an issue. The latter has the advantage of being suitable for both short- and long-distance searches.
Is the issue of end-to-end mobility one of your priorities now more than ever?
Arnaud Coiffard - Yes, SNCF Connect now lets you buy and validate a journey in 23 local transport networksthe latest of which is Alençon. Covering more than 500 French towns and cities. Our aim is to continue to expand this offer, but also and above all to increase customer awareness of it. We're targeting occasional travellers arriving in these areas, so we can use digital technology to provide them with an easy way to use public transport. The first signs of use are interesting. The second aspect of this urban theme concerns the purchase of tickets on the Ile-de-France network from Android smartphones, enabling them to be stored and validated electronically. Recharging Navigo passes via the SNCF Connect app is growing fastIt simplifies life for passengers, who no longer have to use a ticket machine. In particular, they no longer have to queue at stations. Some fares and services are not yet available on the application, but we hope to remedy this soon.
What's new for business customers is commuting?
Arnaud Coiffard - B2E" (business-to-employee) is another key area of development for our corporate customers. The challenge is to provide them with sustainable mobility solutions for their home-to-work journeys. In order to educate the corporate market and enable employees to use the Mobility Credit and the Sustainable Mobility PackageAs part of this strategy, we have chosen to forge partnerships with four specialist players: ALD Move, Swile, Worklife and Betterway, with which Edenred is partnering in 2022. Agreements with these payment solutions will increase, as this is a real market of the future. This is part of the SNCF's thinking - particularly through the company train - to replace some of the journeys made by car.
What are business travellers' main expectations of the app?
Arnaud Coiffard - Business customers first want to find their season tickets, cards, Pro fares and negotiated fare conditions, especially for key accounts. Exchanging, refunding and obtaining information on train details or traffic, in advance or during a disruption, are then among their main expectations. Passengers can bookmark a recurring journey on the application, whether it's a short- or long-distance journey, or an end-to-end journey including an urban transport network. Commuters are also interested in these functions. Many business travellers also use the Mon Chauffeur service to get a taxi or VTC when they arrive at a station. However, the agreement that existed with Uber at the time of the SNCF Assistant has not been renewed. Above all, SNCF Connect is introducing a host of innovations, such as "Immediate return". If you are planning a business trip in the morning, the application will automatically offer you a return journey in the evening, which you can book in just a few clicks. Proactive exchange is another important innovation. If passengers share their geolocation data, the application will, depending on their position, warn them that they are likely to miss their train and suggest that they change their ticket for the next departure. The geolocation will eventually enable us to offer more original services. Finally, after Apple Pay new payment options are expected shortly.
Unlike a competing application, you could be criticised for not offering all rail operators?
Arnaud Coiffard - The aim is to provide a travel solution on every long-distance route or the SNCF is present on all high-speed routes with its TGVs. On the TER network, competition is on the way, and SNCF Connect is open to proposing offers from these operators if we manage to reach an agreement. So tickets will still be sold on Marseille–Toulon–Nice [on which the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region has chosen Transdev's offer from 2025, editor's note] so that every passenger can be sure of having a solution for getting around by train.
How is SNCF Connect adapting to companies' environmental concerns?
Arnaud Coiffard - L'eco-comparator is still up and running on SNCF Connect, so you can assess the carbon footprint of your train journey compared with your plane, coach, combustion and electric car. At the end of December, we also launched the "My SNCF Connect Year" operation, where we sent everyone a "My SNCF Connect Year" card. personalised assessment of journeys made in 2022 and the carbon savings achieved compared with the car. This will make it easier for companies to carry out their carbon audits. The addition of solutions incorporating the Mobility Credit and the Sustainable Mobility Package for home-work journeys also plays an active part in this concern.
