Ground Transport Leaders Push for Seamless Travel

At Phocuswright Europe, executives from Omio, BlaBlaCar, and Rail Europe highlighted the ongoing push for interoperability in the fragmented ground transportation sector. The panel focused on the evolving rail, bus, and car travel landscape and what’s required to achieve a truly seamless journey across providers and countries.

Veronica Diquattro, president of B2C Europe at Omio, emphasized the need for updated industry standards and stronger collaboration between “like-minded partners.” She stressed that access to comprehensive and real-time data is critical for operators to deliver the best options to travelers. “Operators must have access to all fares, all options, all details to offer to the user the optimal choices,” she said, pointing to data transparency and regulatory standardization as foundational elements for progress.

Björn Bender, CEO of Rail Europe, reinforced this view, calling standardization the most urgent need. Without common frameworks and data protocols, the sector remains fragmented and inconsistent, especially across borders.

Florent Bannwarth, BlaBlaCar’s Iberia manager, shared a more ground-level challenge: convincing local operators of the value that technology platforms and marketplaces bring. In Spain and other parts of Europe, Bannwarth noted, many operators are still hesitant to fully embrace digital integration. “There are still a lot of operators that need to be convinced they need platforms like us,” he said. “We can bring incremental passengers and activity, but it’s not always an easy conversation.”

The panelists agreed that both operators and platforms must drive the shift. While platforms like Omio, BlaBlaCar, and Rail Europe can deliver visibility and reach, carriers must be open to collaboration and modernization. The cultural and operational mindset within traditional transport companies is often slow to change, creating a gap in the industry’s ability to serve increasingly digital, convenience-focused travelers.

Another area of focus was how to encourage greater use of ground transportation overall. The panelists discussed the potential role of larger online travel agencies and metasearch players in amplifying distribution and helping shift demand from air to more sustainable rail and bus options. Integration with flight bookings and dynamic packaging could drive multimodal adoption, especially if supported by real-time data and unified ticketing systems.

The conversation also touched on industry consolidation. While no specific deals were mentioned, the panelists acknowledged that further consolidation is likely as the sector matures and investment flows toward scalable platforms capable of unifying fragmented offerings.

Despite the challenges, the sentiment was optimistic. With the right mix of standardization, collaboration, and education, the ground transportation sector is poised to take a larger role in the broader travel ecosystem. For travelers, that could mean easier booking experiences, more transparent pricing, and smoother connections across buses, trains, and rideshare options—bringing the industry one step closer to the seamless journey it’s aiming to deliver.

Tags: phocuswire

Ground Transport Leaders Push for Seamless Travel

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