Autocars Chazot

What Autocars Chazot does

Autocars Chazot is a family-owned passenger transport company headquartered in Saint-Étienne, France, operating scheduled regional bus lines (L12, L13, L16), dedicated school transport circuits, and charter coach rental with driver for groups of 10 to over 300 passengers. Founded in 1946 as Les Cars du Mont Pilat by Odette and Gaston Chazot and rebranded in 1972, the company is currently managed by the third generation of the Chazot family (Guy, Jean Luc, and Teddy Chazot) as a Société Anonyme with €100,000 share capital. The firm serves more than 5,000 passengers daily across the Loire and Rhône departments through a fleet of 110 vehicles that includes approximately 20 premium Grand Touring coaches (Temsa MD9, Iveco Magelys, Van Hool EX16, Iveco Crossway, Mercedes Sprinter).

The company's revenue is generated through four primary streams: recurring regional public transport contracts with Cars Région Loire, TIL, and STAS; school transport contracts with multiple municipal and departmental education authorities; quote-based charter services for associations, sports teams, weddings, corporates, and school trips; and direct ticket and subscription sales (single tickets at €2.30, 10-trip bundles at €20.50, monthly subscriptions at €44.50, annual subscriptions at €441) distributed via on-board sales, commercial agencies, authorized depositaries, and the regional OùRA! smart card system. Distribution is further supported by a commercial agency in Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert, two tourism office partnerships in Saint-Étienne and Saint-Bonnet-le-Château, and since July 2007, membership in the Réunir network — France's first cooperative of independent SME passenger transport operators, providing access to 200 partner locations and 5,700 vehicles nationally.

Supporting technology is modest but functional: a Bus On Time real-time tracking mobile app (iOS/Android) covering live arrival times, geolocation, and QR schedule scanning on the three regular lines; a free SMS alert service for disruptions on subscribed lines; and integrations with the Oura itinerary calculator and Ticket SMS mobile purchasing. The company is pursuing an energy transition agenda, having introduced 6 BioGNV vehicles in 2021 and adding 5 retrofitted 100% electric coaches in 2026, supported by certifications and labels including Engagement de Service (17 audited service commitments), RSE Réunir (in labeling), Programme EVE, Objectif CO2, and the Action Carbone partnership with the GoodPlanet Foundation active since 2012. No external investment, M&A, or headcount expansion signals are disclosed.

Name

Autocars Chazot

Legal name

Autocars Chazot

Website

https://autocars-chazot.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Autocars Chazot is a family-owned French regional bus operator based in Saint-Étienne, founded in 1946, running scheduled lines, school transport, and charter coach services with a 110-vehicle fleet serving 5,000+ passengers daily across the Loire and Rhône departments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intercity Bus & Coach Transportation

NAICS

Taxi and Limousine Service (4853), Limousine Service (485320)

SIC

Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)

akta.pro primary industry

Intercity / Long-Distance Taxi & Chauffeur (THADAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Chauffeured / Black Car & Executive Car Services (THACAIAC)

Keywords

• Passenger road transport
• Regular bus lines
• School transportation
• Charter bus rental
• Intercity coach services

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Etienne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Regional Public Transport (TIL/STAS/Cars Région): Daily passenger transport services operated under regional authority contracts. Services include regular lines (L12, L13, L16) and school transport circuits throughout the Loire department.
2. School Transport: Dedicated school bus services for various educational establishments including schools in Saint-Galmier, Veauche, Montrond les Bains, Chazelles sur Lyon, and Saint-Chamond areas. Operates under contract with regional authorities.
3. Charter Services with Driver: Coach rental with professional drivers for group travel including sports events, cultural outings, weddings, congresses, seminars, and end-of-year school trips. Buses available for 10 to 300 passengers. Quote-based pricing.
4. Ticket and Subscription Sales: Direct ticket sales including single tickets (2.30€), 10-trip bundles (20.50€), monthly subscriptions (44.50€), and annual subscriptions (441€). Revenue from fare collection on vehicles and at sales points.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Autocars Chazot is a French regional passenger transport company that operates scheduled public bus lines (notably routes L12, L13 and L16 around Saint-Étienne), provides school transportation under contract with local authorities, and rents out coaches with driver for private group or corporate charter hire. Its commercial offering is completed by the "Bus On Time" real-time tracking application, an SMS disruption-alert service, and a range of ticketing products (single tickets, carnets, subscriptions).

Product overview

Autocars Chazot operates as a regional passenger transportation company offering three core service lines: scheduled regular bus routes (Lignes régulières), school transportation (Lignes Scolaires), and charter bus rental with driver (Location d'autocars avec chauffeur). The company maintains a fleet of 110 vehicles including approximately 20 grand touring coaches, featuring brands such as Temsa MD9, Iveco Magelys, Van Hool EX16, Iveco Crossway, and Mercedes Sprinter. Supporting services include the Bus On Time real-time tracking application, SMS traffic alerts, and ticketing products via the OùRA! card system and Ticket SMS. The company is transitioning toward sustainable mobility with BioGNV and electric vehicle investments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Regular bus line L12 Scheduled public bus line operated by Autocars Chazot for individual commuters and travelers in the Loire region, running on a fixed timetable and route and accessible with the company's standard ticket products.
• Regular bus line L13 Scheduled public bus line operated by Autocars Chazot for individual commuters and travelers in the Loire region, with fixed stops and timetable.
• Regular bus line L16 Scheduled public bus line operated by Autocars Chazot for individual commuters and travelers in the Loire region, with fixed stops and timetable.
• School transportation service Contracted daily home-to-school transport service provided to primary and secondary schools, municipalities and inter-municipal bodies in the Loire, operated with the company's coaches and licensed drivers under public-procurement contracts.
• Charter bus rental with driver Private hire of Autocars Chazot coaches with driver for one-off or recurring group trips, events, outings, weddings, seminars and corporate travel, quoted day-by-day according to destination and group size.
• Bus On Time mobile application Real-time tracking mobile application that lets passengers of Autocars Chazot's regular bus lines see live vehicle positions, next arrivals and timetable information, improving visibility over regular services.
• SMS traveler alert service Subscription SMS notification service through which passengers receive text-message alerts about delays, disruptions and service changes affecting Autocars Chazot's regular bus lines.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5000+ passengers transported daily
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Réunir NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2007Autocars Chazot has been a member of Réunir since July 2007. Réunir is the first network of independent SME passenger transport companies in France, with 200 locations, 5,700 vehicles, and approximately 200,000 annual travelers. The network provides mutualized technical support, logistics, safety, quality, environmental guidance, HR management, legal expertise, insurance, and crisis management services to member companies. As a member, Autocars Chazot benefits from shared knowledge and best practices while maintaining operational independence.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Keolis: SNCF-subsidiary mass transit operator active across France in urban, suburban, and regional bus services. Competes head-to-head with Autocars Chazot for Loire/Rhône regional authority contracts while offering broader multi-modal and rail-adjacent capabilities.
• RATP Dev: Major French transit operator providing bus and urban mobility services globally through tendered public service contracts. It is among the largest competitors bidding for Loire/Rhône regional lines, with materially deeper operational scale than Autocars Chazot.
• Transdev: Global leader in public transportation and mobility, operating bus, coach, and transit services across France. It is a direct tender competitor for regional authority contracts (TIL, Cars Région) that Autocars Chazot depends on, and operates at very different scale with broad multi-modal capabilities.

Direct peers

• Groupe Courcelles: Independent French regional bus and coach operator offering line, school, and charter services. Similar in business model and competitive positioning to Autocars Chazot, frequently active in the same public transport tender pool.
• Lacroix Group: Independent French family-owned bus and coach operator combining regular lines, school transport, and charter services. Highly comparable in size, ownership profile, and service mix to Autocars Chazot, often participating in the same public-private transport tender environment.
• Groupe Bertolero: Independent French regional coach operator with services spanning school transport, regular lines, and corporate charter. Comparable in operating model and geographic scope to Autocars Chazot's Loire-based operations, serving as a like-for-like SME benchmark.
• Voyages Ecker: Family-owned French bus and coach company combining regional regular lines, school transport, and tour/charter services. Closely comparable to Autocars Chazot in service mix and SME scale, serving as a regional-route and contract-tender peer.

Emerging players

• BlaBlaCar Bus (BlaBlaBus): Long-distance intercity coach service integrated into BlaBlaCar's ride-sharing platform. While it operates at national rather than regional scale, it competes with Autocars Chazot's charter and long-distance coach offerings on price and digital booking experience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/autocarschazot
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/autocarschazot

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Autocars Chazot