The SNCF application is enriched and becomes an “Assistant” that guides users to the transport solutions best suited to their needs. Like Google Maps, it will offer trips by taxi, Uber or Blablacar, or even by bus or electric scooter. It promises to do even better than Maps in remote locations and underserved areas.
While OUI.sncf is the leading French e-commerce site, SNCF continues to develop its digital strategy. According to Le Monde, the group presented its “Assistant”, an evolution of its mobile app that has become more complete than before. The application will no longer be content with providing information about train journeys, but will offer users the most practical solutions by considering alternative transportation offers, even if it means that they will not buy train tickets in the end.
Will SNCF Assistant be more practical than Google Maps soon?
“Assistant SNCF” aims to be a direct competitor to Google Maps, which has been enriched over the years by integrating a wide variety of transportation options, individual and collective, public and private, into its service. Even the application More convenient than Google Maps when the point of departure and/or destination is in remote locations, especially in small towns.
Also read: Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp: How to book an SNCF train ticket in seconds
But we are not there yet. The first version of this next-generation SNCF app is heading in that direction, but some functionality will come only later. In the coming months, Uber and Blablacar should join the platform. No surprise, they are already partners of SNCF. But SNCF CEO Guillaume Pepy assures everyone is welcome and the goal is to have the most complete and effective tool possible. It even opens the door to future SNCF competitors on the railroad. Bus and electric scooter operators are also expected. Of course, the group will receive a small commission for every transaction executed from its app.
SNCF states that one of the goals is to divert a small portion of personal vehicle users to public transport. Note that on Android the service is NFC compatible for validation of transport tickets. It’s a feature that works even if the smartphone’s battery is dead.
