of data that travel buyers need to manage their programmes. Chief commercial officer Peter Boucher explains: “Corporate clients need a fluid system to manage expenses and to cap spend. Addison Lee has developed travel management software that can be tailored to the needs of each account. “Historically ground transport has
never been sufficiently integrated – it has always been the missing API [application programming interface]. The hotel, airline and even rail industries have managed to do this successfully. “No one has ever been able to do ground
transport successfully. Addison Lee is providing the missing link with technol- ogy that integrates seamlessly with the client’s travel management software and expense software as a part of the booking flow.” Roy Hughes, director at ground transport specialist One Transport, says there has been a “noticeable push” in the last few years for companies to try to integrate their ground transport programmes to save money, as well as ensuring duty-of-care to travellers. “There are two extremes – some organ- isations are only just beginning to think about implementing a ground transport
“Clients need a fluid system to manage expenses and to cap spend”
programme, while others are now well ahead of the game,” says Hughes. “The taxi and private-hire industry has come under huge pressure from the cor- porate market to reduce and optimise cost efficiency, which the industry has reacted to through greater utilisation of technology, such as mobile apps.” Sean McDonagh, sales director at specialist supplier Cityfleet Business, says that technology is also allowing more flex- ibility and choice in the type of vehicles that clients are using, as well as making it easier for them to capture this data. “New products, such as our app and online booking tool, are helping to further improve flexibility of booking while being able to offer a large selection of different vehicle types, such as black cabs and electric vehicles,” he says.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
— Ground transport is still a fragmented segment of business travel but technology is making it easier to gain more control.
— The emergence of Uber and its contemporaries is helping to drive more innovation in the sector that should ultimately benefit corporate buyers.
— Technology is allowing firms to explore concepts such as car- sharing to save on costs.
— It is still one of the most untapped areas of business travel for potential savings if programmes can be consolidated effectively.
— Developments, such as driverless cars, could make ground transport one of the industry’s more dynamic sectors in the future.
“Booking apps allow users to book
and track vehicles wherever they are in the world, 24 hours a day. This will allow clients to empower their colleagues to book a vehicle as long as the cost can be centrally attributed and controlled.”
CAR-SHARING Another major ground transport develop- ment in recent years has been the growth of car-sharing services. Stuart Birkin, direc- tor of account management at Corporate Travel Management, says car-sharing is “definitely being talked about more” as technological advances make it more practical for business travellers to use. “The technologies are there to support
this by identifying travellers arriving at a destination within a prescribed window, and then urging them to share taxis or cars,” explains Birkin. “We have introduced CTM’s Smart Taxi solution, which alerts travellers within a client’s company to when they are arriving at the same airport as a col- league, so that they can share a taxi, and thus save ground transportation costs. “I haven’t seen it mandated in a travel
policy yet, but it’s certainly an area that travel managers and procurement alike are
72 BBT JULY/AUGUST 2016
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
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