Karhoo launches last-mile chauffeur service in partnership with French railway operator SNCF

Karhoo has announced a ground-breaking partnership with SNCF Mobilités designed to bring door-to-door transport services to travellers across France.

Karhoo has created a platform that enables travellers on SNCF’s high-speed trains to book first and last mile journeys by taxi or private hire vehicle.

The service, called “Mon Chauffeur” can be accessed through the OUI.sncf app or website (https://monchauffeur.oui.sncf) and is available to all passengers.

The service will launch in 25 stations across France and will be extended throughout 2019. It marks the first step in a global partnership for the mobility giants.

The announcement was made by co-CEOs Nicolas Andine and Boris Pilichowski at the Viva Technology conference, Paris.

By harnessing Karhoo’s real-time cost comparison platform and tapping into its extensive network of 150 fleets in France, SNCF can now provide its customers with a selection of the best offers at the best price, calculated according to the route.

As well as convenience customers will enjoy a high-quality service with a guaranteed reservation and no queuing. The driver will wait for customers at a designated meeting point and adapt to possible schedule changes if needed.

SNCF passengers can book their ride either in advance when purchasing train tickets or on the move by connecting to the train’s WiFi.

Thanks to a white-label technology developed by Karhoo and Groupe Renault, the “Mon Chauffeur” service is one of the most powerful and complete on the market. The number of journeys is expected to grow to a few thousand per day in 2019.

Karhoo Co-CEO Boris Pilichowski said: “Enabling door-to-door transport for SNCF customers takes us a step closer to a truly integrated network while improving the passenger experience tenfold.”

Jérome Laffon, Marketing Director of SNCF Travel said: “This partnership with Groupe Renault makes it possible to meet the challenges of shared mobility, and we are developing technological solutions to make our customers’ travel even easier.”

Aranud Molinié, Groupe Renault Global Mobility Director and President of Karhoo said the service was “an unprecedented offer able to cover a very large majority of France, while being available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for one or more passengers, in business, sharing or family, and at the most advantageous rates on the market”.