EVENTS
IN CONVERSATION… Andrew Pinnington, Hailo CEO
BBT talks to the black cab app boss about the tech start-up’s rise, the growth in the corporate market and the battle with Uber...
Has Uber eaten into your share of the corporate market? No – exactly the opposite. We have seen a challenge on the consumer side, such as at weekends, but within the corporate accounts we have seen nothing but growth.
Andrew Pinnington
Travel buyers invited to hotel forum
HRS HAS TEAMED UP WITH BUYING BUSINESS TRAVEL AND ITM to host the Corporate Travel Forum, focusing on the hotel category. Travel buyers and procurement professionals are invited to join industry experts to debate best practice in running a corporate accommodation programme. Topical issues up for discussion will include policy and management of multiple sources of hotel content, improving payment and expense processes, and the impact of predictive technology on hotel bookings. The one-day event will take place on June 9, in the spectacular surroundings of Landing Forty Two at the top of the Leadenhall Building (pictured). Some complimentary invitations are available for buyers. Corporate Travel Forum, June 9, 2016, 9.30am-5.30pm, Landing Forty Two, 122 Leadenhall Street, City of London, EC3V 4AB. For more information and to register for a place, visit
thecorporatetravelforum.com
SECURITY LASERS: OFFENSIVE WEAPONS?
BRITISH PILOTS HAVE CALLED FOR MODERN LASER POINTERS to be classed as “offensive weapons” following an incident involving a Virgin Atlantic flight in February. The aircraft from Heathrow to New York had to turn back shortly after take-off, when a laser beam hit the cockpit and “dazzled” the pilot. The flight was grounded overnight, and the 252 passengers put up in hotels. Shining a laser at a plane can be a criminal offence. There have been no arrests, but police are investigating. The British Airline Pilots Association is calling for sales of all but the lowest-power devices to be regulated.
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
How much do the latest reports of Hailo’s financial losses concern you? Hailo is a tech start-up company, and it seems the nature of businesses in this space is that they are almost permanently in a state of fundraising. I think what generated those reports and headlines was that we released our figures from 2014. You’ve got to understand those are nearly a year out-of-date, so not a true reflection of where the company sits today.
What are your plans for the next couple of years? We want to grow the business in our existing markets – London, Ireland and Spain. We also want to move into other European countries as well.
Is it becoming harder to compete against a private- hire car app such as Uber? That is not necessarily true, especially in the corporate market. I think there are times of the day, and week, when black cabs are significantly cheaper, because of things such as price surging. On shorter journeys, particularly in busier periods, black cabs are quicker and cheaper because they move faster, with the use of bus lanes and ‘The Knowledge’.
Why did you reject the recent offer from Uber to waive its 5 per cent service fee for your drivers to use its app for a year? Uber was playing a very canny game. If you read its release, it said it was holding out this olive branch, but then spent the rest of it denigrating the black cab trade – it was very disingenuous.
Do you feel there’s enough support from regulators, the mayor and TFL? I think the London regulatory authorities were approaching Uber with a laissez-faire attitude – they had accepted its sales pitch. It [Uber] says, look at the black cabs, protecting their old ways to the detriment of the many – it’s a very seductive, easy message to sell and much of the administration accepted that. What they hadn’t understood was that every Kool-Aid drink comes with side effects.
What is it black cab drivers and Hailo want? We have a regulatory environment in place that is asking black cab drivers to bear very heavy costs – such as 100 per cent fully- accessible vehicles, security and insurance levels – that private cars don’t have to carry. So, in a nutshell, all we want is a level playing field. See Hailo story, page 11
BBT MARCH/APRIL 2016 9
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