Hang On for the Ride

Throughout the sharing economy, horizons continue to shift. Lyft is expanding into transportation experiences for recruiting teams, event managers, hospitality services and healthcare companies.

Other companies of various sizes are offering services that may attract business travelers as well as vacationers. With Getaround, car owners in five western and mid-western cities rent out their vehicles as an alternative to the usual car rental or other ground transportation. Miami’s miRide, launched in 2015, promotes itself as affordable alternative to traditional black car options. And for those interested in checking out electric cars, the Blue Indy car-share service in Indianapolis offers yet another option.

Beyond travel, a widening array of offerers are launching in areas ranging from lending to talent sharing. In a surprise outcome, Certify’s 2016 report found that classified advertising wunderkind Craigslist accounted for more corporate travel spend in Q4 than even WiFi. Companies are using the online marketplace to gain access to a larger pool of candidates when businesses need to hire new talent.

As companies continue to embrace more of the sharing economy, both travelers and travel managers may need to adjust to seemingly minor differences that still merit consideration, Lau Keng Lun says. For example, a traveler can check in at a hotel at virtually any time. But when renting a house or an apartment, it may be necessary to meet someone at a pre-arranged time to pick up a key.