What Grupo Samar does

Grupo Samar is one of Spain's oldest and largest privately held road passenger transport groups, operating for over 85 years (origins circa 1939) and headquartered in Madrid. The group operates a multi-brand portfolio including the historic Autocares SAMAR and La Veloz (founded circa 1925 and celebrating its centenary in 2025), offering scheduled bus services across urban, commuter (Cercanías/CRTM), national, and international routes, as well as discretionary charter services. Service coverage spans the Madrid region, Castilla-La Mancha, Andalusia, Castile and León, and Extremadura.

The group's core product is road passenger bus transport, sold through a multilingual website (Spanish, English, French, German), an online ticketing platform (autobusing.com), phone sales (902 25 70 25), and physical ticket offices. The offering is segmented into service tiers — EXPERT CLASS (premium security and comfort), PLUS, and PLUS+ — and augmented with subscription-style passes including Abono Único (national unlimited travel), Verano Joven (90% youth discounts for ages 18-30), and multi-journey discount Bonos. Adjacent revenue lines include vehicle rental (cars and vans via aucensa.es), chauffeur-driven vehicle rental, charter bus hire for events and weddings, advertising on bus exteriors and interiors, and a hotel/accommodation booking portal (hoteles.samar.es) operating on an affiliate-referral model.

The business model is primarily transaction-fee-based on passenger ticket sales, complemented by subscription/recurring revenue from vehicle rental, advertising, and commission-based hotel referrals. Government-contracted commuter routes under the Madrid Regional Transport Consortium (CRTM) provide a stable contracted revenue anchor. The group holds the Madrid Excelente quality certification and ENS Basic cybersecurity certification (RD 311/2022), and has received NextGenerationEU fleet transformation aid for fleet modernization. Ownership is private, with multiple wholly-owned operating subsidiaries (AUTOCARES SAMAR S.A., AUTOCARES SAMAR BUIL S.A., and LA VELOZ S.A.) and no identified parent company, institutional investor, or public listing.

Name

Grupo Samar

Legal name

Grupo Samar

Website

https://samar.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Grupo Samar is a privately held Spanish road passenger transport group operating scheduled bus services (urban, commuter, national, international, and charter) under brands SAMAR and La Veloz, primarily serving individual travelers, corporate clients, and the Madrid Regional Transport Consortium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Passenger Bus Transportation

NAICS

Charter Bus Industry (4855), Charter Bus Industry (485510), Taxi and Limousine Service (4853), Passenger Car Rental (532111)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700), Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510)

akta.pro primary industry

Coach & Bus Charter Fleet Rental (With/Without Driver) (TLABADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Motorcoach (Intercity) Bus Leasing/Rental (TLABADAA), Pre-Booked Private Hire / Chauffeur (PHV/Limo) (THAIAGAD), Commercial Vehicle Rental with Driver (Crew/Delivery) (THADAJAL)

Keywords

• Passenger bus transport
• Intercity bus services
• Charter bus rental
• Commuter bus routes
• Vehicle rental services

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Passenger Bus Tickets: Core revenue from sale of individual and multi-journey bus tickets across urban, regional, national, and international routes. Ticket sales conducted online, via phone, and at physical points of sale.
2. Vehicle Rental Services: Revenue from rental of vehicles (cars and vans) and vehicles with driver. Also bus rental services for discretionary use such as weddings and events.
3. Advertising on Fleet: Revenue from selling advertising space on the exterior and interior of buses.
4. Hotel and Accommodation Bookings: Commission revenue from hotel and accommodation booking portal referenced at hoteles.samar.es.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Grupo Samar sells scheduled and discretionary road passenger bus transport services across Spain under brands including Autocares SAMAR and La Veloz, covering urban, commuter, national, international, and airport routes. The company also rents vehicles (cars, vans, chauffeur-driven) and buses for events and group travel, sells advertising space on its fleet, and offers hotel booking via a partner portal.

Product overview

Grupo Samar is one of Spain's largest road passenger transport groups with over 85 years of experience. The company operates a multi-brand portfolio including Autocares SAMAR and La Veloz, offering regional, national, international, urban, and charter bus services. The core offering centers on scheduled bus transport under brands like Autocares SAMAR and La Veloz, supplemented by premium tiers (EXPERT CLASS, PLUS/PLUS+), subscription passes (Abono Único, Verano Joven), and ancillary services including vehicle rental, charter bus hire, hotel booking, and loyalty programs. Online ticket purchasing enables digital access to services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EXPERT CLASS: Premium bus service offering enhanced comfort and safety features
• PLUS
• PLUS+

Products and services

• Scheduled Bus Passenger Transport (Autocares SAMAR / La Veloz) Main scheduled bus passenger transport services under the Autocares SAMAR and La Veloz brands, operating regional, national, and international routes across Spain for individual travelers and commuters.
• Urban Bus Transport Urban bus transport services operating within Spanish cities.
• Cercanías Commuter Bus Services

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Consorcio Regional de Transportes de MadridcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrupo Samar is an accredited member and service provider for the Madrid Regional Transport Consortium, operating government-commissioned commuter bus routes in the Madrid region. This includes validation of transport passes for routes to Seseña, Aranjuez, Ocaña, Villatobas, Valmojado, Casarrubios, Chozas de Canales, Las Ventas de Retamosa, and Camarena.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Avanza: Spanish bus operator (part of Mobility ADO / Grupo ADO) running urban, intercity, and charter services in multiple Spanish regions — competes directly with Samar on regional and discretionary routes.
• ALSA: Spain's largest private bus operator (subsidiary of National Express), running scheduled, charter, and international services across Spain — directly competing with Grupo Samar on national and regional corridors and on CRTM-associated routes.
• Monbus: Spanish private bus group operating intercity and charter services across Galicia, Asturias, and other regions — direct competitor in the discretionary/coach and intercity bus segments.
• FlixBus: European low-cost intercity bus operator with significant Spanish route coverage. Competes head-to-head with Samar on price-led national and international long-distance corridors.
• Eurolines (Transdev): European long-distance coach network (Transdev) connecting cities across Europe, including Spain — competes on international/intercity corridors and shares the charter and cross-border charter-coach business model.

Regional players

• Arriva: Pan-European passenger transport operator (Deutsche Bahn subsidiary) running scheduled bus services across multiple EU countries — comparable operational model with similar reliance on contracted public-service routes.
• Stagecoach Group: UK-based bus and coach operator with regional scheduled services — comparable asset-heavy fleet business serving commuter and intercity demand under concession contracts.
• FirstGroup: UK-listed operator of bus and rail services — comparable scale of scheduled bus operations, contracted revenues, and fleet-based cost structure, though focused primarily on the UK market.

Broad incumbents

• ComfortDelGro: Singapore-listed global land transport conglomerate operating buses, taxis, and rail in multiple countries — broader portfolio but comparable bus/charter operations to Samar's scheduled and discretionary services.
• National Express: UK-headquartered international public transport operator and parent of ALSA — operates scheduled bus/coach services across multiple European geographies; broader portfolio but directly comparable business model and customer overlap via ALSA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/autocaressamar

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 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 Grupo Samar