Back-seat RIDERS
Does the traditional chauffeur-driven transfer still have a place in business travel in a world in which cutting costs and carbon emissions prevails, asks Rob Gill
The difficulty in being able to shop, compare and book ground transport – including chauffeur-drive services – through corporate booking tools has long been a bugbear of travel buyers, who have been left frustrated by a lack of suitable technology and the fragmentation of this part of the industry.
“When we talk about the end-to-end business trip, it’s still the ground transport elements that are the most difficult to book,” says one UK buyer. “The market is so fragmented and technology needs to solve it.”
Driving change
So what are the chauffeur-drive companies doing to clear these hurdles?
Tristar, which is part of the Addison Lee Group, says it is “agnostic” about the booking platforms, offering its own digital channels and API links for sales through third parties.
David Bruce, Managing Director, Tristar EMEA and APAC, adds: “We have invested in our core operating system and seen material improvements in how we service our customers at scale.”
Greg Mendoza, Vice President, International Operations at Carey International, says it is making services “as available as possible, whichever booking method clients want to use”, including through API links and GDSS.
API links are also being used by TBR Global Chauffeuring with key customers “embedding our content and capability directly into their systems”, as well as using aggregators, such as Groundspan, Mozio and Groundscope.
The latter integrated both Blacklane and Carey last year, and incorporates over 600 local ground transport services across the world, including chauffeur services, taxi firms and coach companies.
Some TMCS are also enhancing services. American Express GBT, for example, has created a multi-channel ground transport platform offering chauffeur-drive, taxis, airport express trains and ride-sharing services in a single app.
When we talk about the end-to-end business trip, it’s still the ground transport elements that are the most difficult to book”
Going green
Another clear trend is growing demand from corporate clients for more environmentally friendly vehicles to be made available for their travellers, as well as requests for the