What Simplon does

Cars Simplon (legal name: Cars SIMPLON, SA) is a French passenger road transport operator founded in 1937 and headquartered at 39 rue de la Libération, Ouzouer-le-Marché (Beauce la Romaine). Since 2003 the company has been wholly owned by the FAST Group, a diversified passenger transport conglomerate controlled by the Ringeard family of La Roche-sur-Yon. As of March 2026 the firm employed 208 people and operated a fleet of 287 vehicles (32 grand tourisme coaches, 178 school/regular/TER/airport shuttle vehicles, and 20 minibuses under 30 seats), with operational depots in Orléans, Vendôme, Blois, and Romorantin alongside its headquarters workshops.

The company runs five branded transport networks on behalf of public authorities: Rémi (regional network of Centre-Val de Loire), Azalys (Blois Agglopolys), Move (Territoires Vendômois), and Filibus (Chartres Métropole), in addition to its tourism and occasional coach business. Core service lines include school transport under contracts with the Departmental Councils of Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, and Eure-et-Loir; regular intercity lines connecting Blois, Orléans, and Chartres; TER rail correspondence at Vendôme station serving Paris and Tours TGV services; airport shuttles; on-demand transport; and tourism coach services across France and Europe. A wholly-owned subsidiary, SIMPLON VOYAGES (created 1985), packages coach and air travel across Europe and worldwide.

Revenue is contract-based: school and regular line services are paid by departmental and regional authorities on a fee-per-route basis, while tourism, charter, and corporate work (historically including Michelin and Alcatel) is sold through direct quotes via a website form or phone. The company markets through its corporate site, a Facebook page, recruitment events in Loir-et-Cher towns, and integrations with the Rémi/Azalys/Move/Filibus portals. Core technology consists of an in-house fleet management software for route optimization and kilometer analytics; in-house maintenance, eco-driving training, and Pôle Emploi-backed driver licensing programs (POEC/DEFI) address reliability and labor supply. The firm holds an 88/100 Index Égalité Femmes-Hommes score (2025) and a 10% disabled-worker rate via its partnership with CAP-EMPLOI 41.

Name

Simplon

Legal name

Cars SIMPLON

Website

https://cars-simplon.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cars Simplon is a French passenger coach operator founded in 1937 (208 employees, 287 vehicles) running school, regular line, TER rail correspondence, airport shuttle, on-demand, and tourism transport under contracts with the Departmental Councils of Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, and Eure-et-Loir.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Passenger Coach and Bus Transportation Services

NAICS

Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation (48521), Charter Bus Industry (485510)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Economy/Conventional Scheduled Intercity Bus Services (THAIADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Intercity Bus Feeder & First/Last-Mile Connector Operators (Scheduled) (THAIADAJ), Coach & Bus Charter Fleet Rental (With/Without Driver) (TLABADAE)

Keywords

• School bus transport
• Coach charter services
• Regular line transport
• Passenger ground transport
• Tourism coach travel

Headquarters

HQ city

Vaison-la-romaine

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. School Transport Services: Contract-based school transport services under the authority of the Departmental Councils of Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, and Eure-et-Loir. Operates school bus routes and lines.
2. Regular Line Transport: Regular line transport services including TER rail connections at Vendôme station linking to Paris and Tours TGV trains, as well as airport shuttle services.
3. Tourism and Charter Transport: Tourism coach services in France and internationally, private chartered transport, excursions, and occasional transport services for groups, associations, and private clients.
4. Corporate Employee Transport: Corporate shuttle and employee transport services, previously serving companies such as Michelin and Alcatel with up to 20 dedicated coaches for Alcatel.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cars SIMPLON operates passenger coach and bus transport services through a fleet of 287 vehicles across the French departments of Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, and Eure-et-Loir. Its core business is contracted school transport (Transport Scolaire) under three Departmental Councils, complemented by regular public transport lines (Lignes Régulières), tourism and charter coaches (Grand Tourisme), airport shuttles, on-demand transport, and occasional private hire. The company also runs in-house fleet maintenance and operations management, and operates under the branded networks Rémi, Azalys, MOVE, and Filibus.

Product overview

Cars SIMPLON is a passenger coach/bus transport company operating a multi-service fleet of 287 vehicles (32 grand tourism coaches, 178 school and regular transport vehicles, 20 minibuses) across departments Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, and Eure-et-Loir in France. The company operates under the FAST group (Ringeard family) and was founded in 1937, with its current headquarters at Ouzouer-le-Marché. Its portfolio comprises four branded transport networks (Rémi, Azalys, MOVE, Filibus) delivering school transport, regular lines (including TER rail correspondence), airport shuttles, on-demand transport, and tourism coaching services, supported by in-house vehicle maintenance and transport exploitation/operations management teams. The company employs 208 people and also offers internship/apprenticeship programs across its driving, technical, and mechanic roles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Bus Transport (Transport Scolaire) Contracted school bus transport for students of primary schools, colleges, and lycées across Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, and Eure-et-Loir, operating under the authority of three Departmental Councils. Schedules cover weekday mornings (06h00-09h00), afternoons (16h00-19h00), and Wednesday midday, with drivers working an average base of 20 hours per week.
• Regular Lines Transport (Lignes Régulières) Scheduled public bus/coach lines operated under departmental authority of the Conseils Départementaux du Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, and Eure-et-Loir, connecting destinations including Blois, Orléans, and Chartres. Includes TER rail correspondence service at Vendôme station linking to Paris and Tours TGV services.
• Tourism Coach Transport (Grand Tourisme) Tourism coach transport across France and Europe, with 32 vehicles dedicated to multi-day trips, excursions, pilgrimages, school trips, and private charter. Includes both day trips and multi-day journeys for groups, associations, schools, and private clients.
• Airport Shuttle Service Airport shuttle services integrated within the regular lines network, providing coach connections from departmental territories to airport hubs.
• On-Demand Transport (Transport à la demande) Demand-responsive transport service offering flexible routing based on passenger requests within the service territory, complementing fixed regular lines.
• Occasional and Private Transport Ad-hoc coach hire services including excursions, private group transport, association trips, and school-related trips outside regular school transport periods. Bookable via the online quote form or by phone.
• Rémi Network (Réseau Rémi) Regional school and regular transport network for Centre-Val de Loire, operated by Cars Simplon under authority of the Région Centre-Val de Loire, accessible via the Rémi website for route and real-time traffic information.
• Azalys Network (Réseau Azalys) Urban and school transport network for the Agglopolys area (Blois), operated by Cars Simplon and listed on the Azalys portal for route and schedule information.
• MOVE Network (Réseau MOVE) Mobility network for the Territoires Vendômois territory, operated by Cars Simplon, serving school routes and regular lines, accessible through the Move website.
• Filibus Network (Réseau Filibus) Transport network for the Chartres metropolitan area, operated by Cars Simplon under the Filibus brand for school and urban lines.

Quantifiable outcome

• Index de l'égalité femmes-hommes 2025: 88/100 (indicators: 40/40 for gender pay gap, 35/35 for individual raise distribution, 0/10 for top salary parity)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rémi (Région Centre-Val de Loire)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRémi is the official regional transport network of Centre-Val de Loire. Cars Simplon operates school transport routes and schedules under the Rémi banner, accessible via the Rémi website for route and real-time traffic information.
• Azalys (Agglopolys - Blois)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAzalys is the urban transport network of the Blois Agglopolys community. Cars Simplon operates school lines under this network, listed on the Azalys portal for route and schedule information.
• Move (Territoires Vendômois)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMove is the transport network of the Vendôme territory. Cars Simplon operates school circuits within this network, accessible through the Move website.
• Filibus (Chartres Métropole)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFilibus is the urban transport network of Chartres Métropole. Cars Simplon operates school services within this network, presented on the Filibus portal.
• CAP-EMPLOI 41coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for employing people with disabilities, enabling Cars Simplon to maintain a 10% workforce of disabled workers (taux de travailleurs handicapés).
• AliapurminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAliapur is a reference player in used tire recycling. Cars Simplon has an annual contract with Aliapur for tire collection and recycling, generating a certificate of environmental savings (water, fuel, kWh).
• Suez EnvironnementminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSuez Environnement collects mud/sludge from the car wash installation separators for proper disposal, supporting Cars Simplon's water pollution management.
• Pôle Emploi (POEC and DEFI programmes)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCars Simplon participates in POEC (Préparation Opérationnelle à l'Emploi Collective) and DEFI (Dispositif d'Emploi et de Formation pour l'Insertion) programmes with Pôle Emploi to recruit and train job seekers for transport professions facing labor shortages.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Transdev: One of the largest public transport operators in France and Europe, directly competing for departmental school transport and interurban bus contracts with the same kind of authorities that anchor Simplon's revenue. Highly comparable business model and customer base.
• Lacroix Group: French family-owned bus and coach transport group operating scheduled, school, tourism, and charter services across multiple French regions. Closest direct mid-market comparable to Simplon in terms of service mix, fleet scale, and customer profile.
• Autocars Hervouet: Western France regional bus and coach operator under the FAST Group (Ringeard family), making it a sibling company to Simplon. Directly comparable on operating model and contract-driven public authority revenue mix.

Broad incumbents

• RATP Dev: Subsidiary of the RATP group, providing urban and interurban bus operations across France and internationally. Larger and more diversified, with overlapping activity in school and regular transport networks under municipal/regional authorities.
• Keolis: Subsidiary of SNCF, operating a much broader portfolio that includes urban transit, intercity rail, and bus services in France. Overlaps with Simplon on regional bus contracts but operates at significantly larger scale across many more geographies.

Regional players

• Philibert Transport: French family-owned coach operator focused on tourism, charters, and scheduled services, primarily in eastern/central France. Comparable on charter and tourism service lines even if regional footprints differ.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100066343617116
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/societe-des-cars-simplon

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Simplon