After a million tickets sold in France, Kombo, the French platform for comparing and booking train, bus, plane and carpooling tickets, today announces that it is launching an attack on the Italian market. Objective: to make life easier for travelers, by offering the most complete offer for traveling in Italy but also the best after-sales service on the market.
Objective: one million euros per month in Italy
By completing the integration of Italo, a private railway company, in addition to Trenitalia, Kombo now references all Italian train companies. In addition to all the plane and bus companies operating on the peninsula (Marino Bus, Marozzi, Itabus, or the leader Flixbus), Kombo offers the widest offer on the market in Italy. “Indeed, Kombo is the only player offering the sale of all train, bus and plane tickets at the same time” confides Matthieu Marquenet, Managing Director and co-founder of Kombo.
The demand would be present
The Italian market already generates €100,000 in business volume each month for the platform which has seen, for example, the sale of bus tickets multiplied by five in just one year. “There is therefore a real demand to travel more often and cheaper in Italy. The objective is now to reach a million euros per month by developing the market,” rejoices the entrepreneur.
Kombo, already the most complete offer in France
The only French alternative to SNCF Connect, Kombo has experienced strong growth since its beginnings in 2016 with sales figures tripled each year. Kombo has already won over a million customers who regularly book on its platform.
It’s a strategy designed for the user that makes the difference. With the richest offering in terms of train, bus, plane and carpooling, customers are also attracted by combined journeys which mix all these means of transport. The Kombo site also offers numerous innovations, particularly after-sales, such as automated reimbursement in the event of transport delays. A successful model that Kombo now wishes to duplicate for transalpine travelers and also for French people who wish to book international journeys accompanied by French after-sales service.
One more step towards the conquest of Europe
The Italian market is particularly favorable for Kombo, because it is one of the countries where opening up to competition works best. For example, on trains, the frequency is higher than in France (one train every 20 minutes between Milan and Rome compared to one train per hour on the Paris-Marseille route). Thanks to competition between the different transalpine rail operators, the prices of tickets offered to travelers have fallen by 40% in a few years. SNCF has also planned to open high-speed lines there from 2026 with its Ouigo brand; an offer that Kombo will also offer on its platform.
“All European countries have committed to opening up to competition relatively recently, Kombo’s objective is to make this available to travelers as quickly as possible by offering an independent comparison platform. Rail markets have been designed on a national scale, current issues of purchasing power and ecology make it increasingly necessary to have a tool that allows everyone to be easily connected when travelers are looking for international journeys. This is what Kombo wants to do by eventually covering all of Europe, France and Italy are only the first countries, others will quickly follow” declares Matthieu Marquenet, Managing Director and co-founder of Kombo.
About Kombo
Kombo created in 2016 by 2 entrepreneurs, Clément Hugon and Matthieu Marquenet. is a French platform for booking train, bus and plane tickets used by more than a million travelers each month. Their desire is simply to allow everyone to travel easily, and at the best price. Kombo therefore offers train, bus and plane journeys from more than 400 companies throughout Europe. Kombo is committed to objectivity and undertakes not to favor one carrier over others.
