COMPILED BY MAT THEW PARSONS
IN FOCUS
1
THE FLEET OPERATOR Phil Jerome managing director, Meridian Vehicle Solutions
THE SCI-FI PROMISE of autonomous cars is beguiling – sleek, robot machines that sweep up to your front door and take you wherever you want while you work, watch a movie or even sleep. It’s also probably quite a few years away. We may not even see them widely used in our working lifetimes. However, what we are encountering now are devices fitted to cars that provide a high level of driver assistance – a kind of semi-autonomy. These include city braking, radar cruise, motorway driving modes and blind spot monitors. My view is that, used correctly, these devices are more crucial than full autonomy because they promise to massively reduce accidents. Yes, there are plenty of stories of people using motorway modes incorrectly and suffering the consequences but this technology could ultimately help us well towards zero col- lisions. This might not be as sexy as robot cars, but it is much more important.
SIGHT 3
THE CAR RENTAL COMPANY David McNeill assistant vice-president of global corporate sales EMEA, Enterprise/National
AROUND HALF OF OUR customers first expe- rience new automotive technology in the cars they rent from us, and this is likely to be the case with autonomous vehicles. Sometimes the technology is less new than many imagine; for example, many customers are getting their first experience of driving a hybrid by renting one from us. Many of our business users first trialled plug-in electric vehicles when they joined Enterprise Car Club. In the US we’ve created a partnership
with Voyage to test autonomous vehicles as the rental sector is likely to be an early adopter. This will most probably start with employee usage rather than rental to cus- tomers. We will fully evaluate the potential liabilities, safety measures, operating standards and other issues for driverless technology before renting the vehicles out.
buyingbusinesstravel.com
Autonomous vehicles (AKA
self-driving cars) are slowly making their way on to the road, but is
the travel industry ready for the ride?
2 4
THE PRIVATE HIRE TAXI FIRM Paul McCabe corporate development director, Addison Lee
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES (AV), far from being the stuff of science fiction, are on the horizon. Sophisticated driver-assist features with levels of autonomy are already attri- butes of some new vehicles. The adoption of autonomous technology will be closely intertwined with two other monumental shifts: a transition towards electric power, and a rise in the popularity of ride-sharing. Merge Greenwich, a research project led by Addison Lee looking at AV ride-sharing, found that by 2025, more than one-in-four urban journeys could be taken in shared AVs, summoned by an app. The combi- nation of autonomous operation, electric power and communal use will help us tackle the challenges facing cities: afford- ability, air quality and congestion. Far from costing jobs, AV and driver assist features are likely to create opportu- nities in technology, customer service and engineering and open up new markets.
THE CONSULTANT Alex Bainbridge chief executive, Autoura
EVERY GENERATION, technology advances from outside the travel industry to significantly impact our sector. In the last 20 years we have seen the introduction of the web, mobile then social media – all adjust how travellers learn about and book services while on their trips. These changes are insignificant in comparison to the adoption of autonomous vehicles over the next three to ten years. Autonomous vehicles are different because we are now able to digitally create physical services. As a result they can be deeply personalised and able to react to changing plans immediately. Car manufacturers are pivoting from personal car ownership to services such as ride-hailing and mobile office space. Business travellers will have many new ways to transit within cities and competition will be fierce.
2018 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 7
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123
