Rideshare taxi app on smartphone screen. Online ride sharing and carpool mobile application. Modern people and commuter transportation service. Man holding phone with a car in background.
As ride-hailing apps promote “shared ride options” that offer lower rates for users who allow other passengers to join them, it’s still not a particularly popular choice for most corporate travelers. While sharing rides with strangers is not as potentially invasive as sharing sleeping quarters, it still raises issues around privacy, safety and comfort.
Speaking recently at the Mobility in Travel conference in New York, some executives from ride-hailing suppliers said corporate travel still is not the target audience for shared rides. Su Zhou, head of partnerships for Chinese ground transportation supplier Heycars, said he’s seen little corporate use in the space.
Even the strictest procurement manager is unlikely to mandate shared rides as a cost-saving measure. Yet, they are finding other ways into corporate programs, particularly when businesses can ensure only company employees ride together.
Meanwhile, as travelers use shared ride options more frequently for leisure travel, they could become more comfortable using them for business.
Source: Business Travel News