After a catastrophic year 2020 because of the coronavirus, SNCF wants to give the French back the desire to favor rail.

To do this, it intends to overhaul its pricing policy for the month of June, especially on last minute reservations.

But the company also intends to bet on the map of ecology to seduce. 

DECRYPTION

A year 2020 in the form of a cataclysm.

SNCF publishes its results for last year at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

A record that promises to be catastrophic, since the losses quantified in recent weeks by management are estimated at five billion euros.

A loss whose cause is simple: the coronavirus.

Because with the pandemic, we no longer travel.

Due to a lack of demand, the company has therefore drastically reduced its offer, especially for TGVs.

But in recent weeks, trains have been very lightly filled despite a few peaks recorded during February holiday weekends.

Defeated but not defeated, the SNCF is therefore working on offers to encourage the French to favor rail. 

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Low prices, including at the last minute

A strategy that begins with a reflection on the prices.

Because if the latter decrease regularly thanks to promotional offers, the feeling that the SNCF is simply too expensive is tenacious among the population.

And this is not surprising when we know that these preferential rates are intended for people who book their tickets very early.

And for all those who want to leave at the last minute, it's the hammer blow.

But things will change: the company is preparing a complete overhaul of its prices for June, including attractive prices including at the last minute.

A real revolution. 

More flexible subscriptions for professionals

The fact remains that the process is much complex to set up than it seems, since it is the whole logic of pricing that must be reviewed.

Jean-Pierre Farandou, the boss of the company, therefore puts a lot of pressure on his teams so that they succeed.

Especially since SNCF expects to lose no less than 15% of its professional customers in the years to come.

She anticipates that the habit of virtual meetings will be tenacious, even after the coronavirus crisis.

It will therefore launch much more flexible subscription offers with the aim of attracting employees of SMEs who have fewer subscriptions. 

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Focus on ecology

Another argument that the SNCF wants to put forward to attract the French: ecology.

The company will focus its communication on this area to find a young clientele, very sensitive to this issue.

But this is not the only target, because by playing this card, the SNCF also wants to switch

car

aficionados

from the

road to the train

, while 90% of journeys are currently made by road.

"If we have more attractive prices, we can succeed in winning customers", comments soberly internally. 

And to be green to the end, the company will also go green from the inside by generalizing eco-driving, making it possible to consume less electricity.

Without forgetting that SNCF is also relying heavily on its future TGVs, expected in 2024, to reduce its CO2 emissions by a third.