The new SNCF Connect application allows you to find a route (train, public transport, etc.), book TGV/TER tickets or buy metro tickets in Île-de-France. We tried the super-substitute from oui.SNCF.
After several months of development, the SNCF unveils its new platform on January 25, 2022, responsible for unifying all the experiences it has offered until then in the form of different applications. “SNCF Connect” is the new digital brand of the railway company and, as of today, replaces the oui.sncf portal (formerly Voyages SNCF) both online and on your smartphone (iOS and Android).
Behind this change of name hides a graphic overhaul, the merger of several applications into one and the desire for the SNCF to attack other super-apps, such as Google Maps, Apple Maps, Citymapper or the specialist train line. Numerama offers you a first discovery.
Just one app, really?
SNCF Connect is a super-app, which means that it combines several applications in one. Direct replacement for yes.sncf (which gives way to it), it also integrates the functionalities of SNCF Assistant, Ouigo, My C Line or IDF Mobilities, since it also allows you to recharge a Navigo pass. It also offers information on public transport in many French cities, like a Google Maps or a Citymapper. The objective of the SNCF is to offer you a single application that is sufficiently well designed not to make you want to seek information elsewhere.
However, can we really speak of a merger? To our great surprise, the SNCF told us that it did not intend to delete its old applications to “don’t touch habits” of its customers. With the exception of oui.SNCF, which disappears, the other applications will therefore continue to be maintained. In addition, some more specialized software such as TGV Inoui Pro are not replaced by SNCF Connect. The application cannot, moreover, make it possible to book certain trips abroad. The promise of an app to replace them all is only partially fulfilled.
A dark interface
Dark interfaces are all the rage, but are generally optional. In SNCF Connect, you have no choice. If the site offers a more classic interface, the mobile application is still in dark fashion. A choice assumed by the railway company which wishes to offer an ultra minimalist experience suitable for everyone (there are in particular several accessibility options, with automatic adaptation to the settings of your iPhone or your Android smartphone). The dark theme should also preserve your battery a little more, especially if your smartphone has an OLED screen.
SNCF’s strong choice with Connect is that of a single search bar. You don’t have to enter a departure location and an arrival location, just type in keywords. “Paris-Nice” works, like “Departure from Gare de Lyon” Where “I want to go to Nice by TGV”. You can write your request or speak by touching the microphone icon. A daring bet which, for the moment, seems successful to us. However, it is likely that some people are confused at first and in some cases the application is wrong. For frequent travelers, the “Your favourites” option should render the search bar of little use anyway.
We would not be surprised to see the SNCF offer a more classic search system in the future if everyone does not adhere to the operation of this single bar. SNFC Connect mimics the operation of a Google Maps, but perhaps forgets that some of its customers will open it to book train tickets.
The SNCF Connect application offers four different tabs.
- To travel : with the search bar, his favourites, traffic information (unavailability of a metro line or works on a TER for example) as well as promotional offers.
- Tickets : where your future and/or past titles are, as well as the possibility of recharging a Navigo pass or buying tickets in Île-de-France.
- Offers: the place where you can take out a Youth or Liberty card or a TGVMax season ticket. Some regional offers are also listed, but not all are available. In some cases, you will have to go through the site of your region.
- Account : with a billion options, including the ability to manage your account or customize the application interface. You can also find shortcuts to rent a car, book a taxi, have your luggage delivered, etc.
In each tab, if you scroll down the application, you have the option to ask for help. One chatbot then redirects you to the right place.
If we have not yet had the opportunity to travel with the application, it is clear that its development is, at least in appearance, successful. SNCF Connect makes you want to be used.
Apple Pay and PayPal coming soon
During a press conference, Numerama was able to ask the SNCF a few questions about its application. In particular, we learned that Connect is hosted on Amazon servers and that the railway company hoped to decline the possibility of buying public transport tickets from other regions, despite Île-de-France priority at launch.
On the payment side, SNCF Connect is currently using the payment methods formerly offered by oui.SNCF. Soon, it should be possible to pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal… as well as with dematerialized holiday vouchers. SNCF recognizes that this payment solution is little used today, but aims to help it develop.
A real competitor of Maps and Citymapper?
What about SNCF Connect? It is difficult for us to deliver a real conclusion after only a few hours with the application, we will probably need several experiences to know what it is worth. However, at the interface level, the bet is successful. The fans of train captain, deformed by Trainline after its takeover, should be delighted with this ultra minimalist design which finally does what is asked of it quite well. It remains to be seen whether the general public will accept this single search bar and whether the application will be able to meet all needs. We also bet that a light theme will be offered very quickly by the SNCF, which will not be able to satisfy everyone with its obligatory dark theme.
Regarding the ambitions of the SNCF vis-à-vis Google Maps, Apple Plans, Citymapper or Transit, we are more divided. The integration of public transport is functional, but is it everywhere? In Nice for example, it seems to us that fewer options are offered than in Google Maps. The absence of step-by-step guidance also makes the applications from Google and Apple more complete, even if the information from SNCF Connect is just as accurate. However, let’s not overlook an important point, many French people swear by “official” applications. App regulars RATP Where SNCF should therefore win with SNCF Connect.