In a study published this Tuesday, October 1, on the eve of the opening for sale of train tickets for Christmas, the UFC-Que Choisir association reveals that prices can differ significantly depending on the purchasing platforms used by the users.
On the eve of the opening for sale of train tickets for the Christmas holidays, this Wednesday October 2 at 6 a.m., the UFC-Que Choisir association criticizes in a study the lack of transparency on the prices of train tickets. train. According to this document, published this Tuesday, the minimum prices for the same trip are not the same depending on the sales sites. Because in recent years, alternative purchasing channels to SNCF Connect, such as Trainline, Tictactrip, Kombo, Omio, Rome2Rio and Rail Europe, have multiplied.
Regarding prices, “the fog persists at the time of booking”, writes UFC-Que Choisir in its press release. According to the study, which analyzed twenty-four national and international connections, prices can diverge for the same train depending on the reservation platform used. “A consumer wishing to book a Paris-Stuttgart journey – a connection jointly operated by SNCF and Deutsche Bahn – will find that the prices displayed on SNCF Connect and on the Deutsche Bahn website are different,” expose l’association.
Price differences on cross-border journeys
SNCF Voyageurs recognizes that these price differences may appear on cross-border journeys operated by two operators. “As part of cooperation on cross-border trains between France and Germany, the offer from SNCF Voyageurs and DB is regulated. On the other hand, on journeys in Germany it is completely normal that there may be a difference in the prices offered, indicates the SNCF. On its distribution channels, SNCF Voyageurs only offers part of the DB tariff offer. This can therefore lead to price differences, particularly on the various SNCF Voyageurs distribution channels (of which SNCF Connect is a part).
But UFC-Que Choisir also says it notes that the minimum prices offered for a journey on a given day differ depending on the platforms used by users. For example, for a Montpellier-Madrid trip, the cheapest journey will be 142.50 euros on Rome2Rio and 76.99 euros on Trainline. A Paris-Bordeaux will cost at least 55 euros on SNCF Connect compared to 66 euros on Tictactrip. “All distributors have access to the same prices for SNCF Voyageurs trains”, assured the company, which denies imposing different prices depending on the sales platforms used, which suggests that the difference goes directly into the pockets of the companies offering these tickets for sale.
Several services are missing from users
The consumer association also believes more broadly that several services are lacking for users: “Access to information, reservation, pricing transparency and guarantees of safe arrival at the dock are too often lacking.” Fortunately for users, the SNCF has a duty to transport its customers to their destination despite the obstacles they may encounter during their journey. The study nevertheless reveals that this right is not yet guaranteed for connecting journeys involving several carriers such as Trenitalia, an Italian railway company.
In a previous report published on September 10, UFC-Que Choisir highlighted the quality of service and punctuality in regional trains, highlighting that a user using the TER daily experiences on average two cancellations or delays per week. In May, Release already noted the financial needs for TER which particularly harm rural users of the rail network.
Another subject raised by UFC-Que Choisir: the impossibility of purchasing a ticket for a company other than SNCF Voyageurs on the SNCF Connect website or application. “The consumer cannot know from this application either the existence of a journey with a connection abroad, nor that of a Paris-Lyon train operated by Trenitalia”, believes the UFC. Questioned about this case, SNCF did not wish to comment.
