As global business travel continues to bounce back and many employees start to return to offices, travel managers must focus on building sustainable long-term travel programmes that work for everyone.
Safety is a top concern. When your team travels for work—whether they’re commuting locally or travelling further afield—they deserve to feel safe.
Keep reading to learn how Uber for Business helps protect your employees and helps support your duty of care obligations too.
Employees are back on the road
The coronavirus crisis rolled back global business travel spending by 15 years, from 1.3 trillion USD in 2019 to 600 million USD in 2020: the same level as 2004 and 2005. But the outlook is good, with global travel spending forecast to reach 1.5 trillion USD by 2026.
Despite broad speculation that online events could replace face-to-face meetings entirely, many businesses are now getting back on the move. Or most, in fact:
- According to the January 2023 Global Business Travel Association survey, travel managers estimated their company’s domestic business travel spend had hit 68% of pre-pandemic levels. For international, 54%.
- Even more encouraging, 14% of travel managers said they were currently spending more on domestic travel than before the pandemic, and 9% said the same about international business travel spending.
The same story is true of commuting. Despite predictions that work-from-home would become the new normal, many employees are returning to the workplace either hybrid or full-time, marking a return to regular commuting.
Ridesharing is an increasingly popular business transport
As global mobility continues to recover, we’re seeing the ridesharing sector benefit heavily from that growth—as rideshare apps become an increasingly popular mode of business transport.
For example, in June 2022 we partnered with GBTA to produce a first-ever ground transportation report. In the report, we discovered that 70% of travel managers say their company’s employees “frequently” use rideshare apps on work trips.
Equally, Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer: Mobility Survey in 2022 finds that 14% of global respondents use ride-hail services to commute.
Many leaders are recognising how technology like Uber for Business makes global mobility easier, more efficient, and more comfortable—and it follows too that safety is a top concern.
In our report with GBTA, we found that 75% of travel managers say their business travel programmes are more focused on traveller safety and well-being than two years ago, for example.
Whether your employees are commuting, travelling to the airport, or riding to an event or meeting, they deserve to feel confident and safe when travelling. Considering their safety is an important part of your duty of care.
Business travel and duty of care
Your duty of care obligations extend beyond the physical office. However your people travel, if they’re on the move for work you must take reasonable steps to protect their health, safety, and well-being.
Meeting this duty of care obligation isn’t only a legal concern. It can also lead to higher employee engagement, retention, and productivity.
When you use Uber for Business to manage global mobility, you can trust we have robust safety and security measures to help protect your people and help support your duty of care obligations.
How Uber for Business helps fuel safer journeys
Safety is the core of everything we do. When your people request a ride with Uber, we’re committed to helping protect them—before, during, and after their trip. Whether they’re heading to a client’s office for a meeting, attending off-site training, or commuting home after a busy week.
Before each trip
Uber’s commitment to safety starts before the car pulls up.
- No more street hails. The Uber app allows for a seamless pickup experience. Your employees can request a ride with Uber and wait inside for their driver. No more waiting on the street or heading to a bus stop late at night.
- Easy driver identification. Before a driver arrives, your employees can check their driver’s details in the app so they know they’re getting into the right car.
- Anonymous communications. With Uber, there’s no need for your employees to share contact information. If a rider and driver need to contact each other, the Uber app anonymises both phone numbers to help protect everyone’s privacy.
During each trip
Uber’s technology works hard behind the scenes to help business trips run smoothly.
- GPS-tracked trips. Thanks to start-to-finish GPS tracking, your employees can see their route and car location—and make sure they’re headed in the right direction—with the map in the app.
- Live location sharing. Employees can easily share live trip details, including their real-time location, with their Trusted Contacts during their ride.
- Emergency Button. Uber’s in-app Emergency Button allows riders to contact local emergency services directly and shows a rider’s real-time location in the app. So if something unexpected happens, your employees can get help fast.
- Seamless, cashless transactions. No more arguing over fares, broken card readers, or lack of change. With Uber for Business, your people can easily charge work trips correctly—and avoid time-consuming reimbursements.
- Help at their fingertips. Riders can access the in-app Safety Centre with one tap, with access to key safety information and emergency assistance.
- RideCheck®. When things don’t go as planned, RideCheck uses GPS and telematics data from the driver’s device to flag irregularities and to check in with drivers and riders in the app to make sure everything is OK.
After each trip
Uber’s commitment to safety continues even once your travellers’ trips end.
- 24/7 in-app support. Whether someone has left their meeting notes in a vehicle or has a question about a ride, our Customer Support team is there to help 24/7.
- Business-trip visibility. For added visibility, business account admins can quickly see all of the Uber trips taken on a company’s account through the Uber for Business dashboard. Admins can check specific details, including pickup and dropoff locations.
Helping you meet your duty of care requirements
However your people travel to, from, and for work, you have a duty of care towards them. As well as the robust safety features we’ve established across the Uber app, Uber for Business has features specifically designed to help businesses meet their duty of care obligations.
- Enhanced visibility. With the Uber for Business dashboard, you can see the time, date, and pickup and dropoff locations of all trips taken on your business account, at a glance.
- Business support. When you use Uber for Business, admins can access our specialised Business Support team—to get help fast if you need it.
Uber for Business gets your business moving, with safety top of mind. Learn more about Uber for Business.
Posted by Uber
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