Aurélien Fleurot 6:32 a.m., February 19, 2022

The new SNCF application has been disturbing users for several weeks.

Result, after the competition on the rails with the arrival of Trenitalia on the Paris-Lyon line, it is now the competition in applications and reservation sites which is sharpening.

Other platforms have never sold so many tickets.

The update of the oui.SNCF and L'Assistant application, three weeks ago, was supposed to simplify the procedures for users, by centralizing everything in one place and by relying on artificial intelligence to save time for users.

Except that the SNCF Connect application posed some problems for its users.

Result: the other booking platforms have never sold so many SNCF tickets.

Unexpected competition

This is not necessarily the type of competition that the SNCF had imagined.

Those disappointed with the new application and the new site, SNCF Connect have discovered a new way of booking a ticket and the effect has been spectacular for Trainline, which offers all the trains and buses that run in France.

"The ten biggest days of new customers in France were after the launch of SNCF Connect. So really, we saw this underlying trend, sales on the SNCF, it increased by 50% the week following the launch. of SNCF Collect compared to the three weeks preceding the launch", explains Christopher Michau, Director of Operator Relations for the platform.

The manager has seen 30% more customers appear every week. 

>> READ ALSO

- SNCF Connect: what do users complain about this new application?

Another option is the Kombo application, which has also experienced a strong increase: +50% in traffic and sales or the Tictactrip site.

All these alternatives offer an all-in-one that appeals.

You can add your SNCF discount cards or even tailor-made with, for example, a one-way trip between Paris and Lyon with a Ouigo and a return trip with Trenitilia. 

Officially, no worries on the SNCF side, which still sells as many tickets as before, ie 450,000 per day.