Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) and Uber for Business have launched a partnership that will integrate Uber for Business services with the booking, expense management systems and security policies used for corporate travel programs.
In a move confirmed yesterday at Illuminate 2019, FCTG’s annual event dedicated to informing and providing insights into the global corporate travel industry, the strategic partnership between the global pioneer of ride sharing and travel giant FCTG will integrate Uber for Business’ services with FCTG’s corporate travel platforms for traveller profiles, booking, mobile apps, reporting and reconciliation.
Flight Centre said customers from FCTG’s corporate brands, including FCM Travel Solutions, Corporate Traveller and Stage and Screen, would receive a “truly seamless, end-to-end booking, travel and payment experience”.
Global head of Uber for Business, Ronnie Gurion, and executive general manager of FCTG Corporate, James Kavanagh, announced the partnership on stage in front of 550 attendees at Illuminate 2019, who will be amongst the first companies to sign up for this service in Australia.
“Uber for Business ignites possibilities for global companies through Uber’s platform,” Gurion said.
“As the largest travel provider in the region, we’re excited about the opportunities this partnership will bring Flight Centre corporate customers and support staff who will benefit from our analytics and policy controls.”
Kavanagh reminded the audience that the announcement came off the back of FCTG’s corporate brands being named one of Australia’s most innovative companies, making the top 10 of AFR’s Most Innovative Companies list for 2019.
“Through the process of consulting with our customers we sought to understand their pain points when it came to ground transport. By keeping our customers at the centre of our innovation and understanding what they needed, we were able to partner with Uber to create a solution that provides real tangible benefits.
“The inclusion of the Uber platform in our systems makes it easy for individual travellers, travel bookers, and finance and procurement teams because their bookings will appear in the itineraries and invoices just like airfares, hotels or car rates would do.”
A statement issued by FCTG said users would have exactly the same experience they have now in terms of using the Uber app, tapping their Uber for Business profile within the app, which links to their corporate travel profile.
James Kavanagh
“The booking will then automatically sync with systems and show in the client’s travel reporting.
“The arrangement with Uber for Business will give corporates more visibility of traveller spend and activity, and also support clients with their compliance and duty of care obligations. Expense reporting and reconciliation of spend on the Uber app will also be much easier.
“We know that when it comes to corporate travel programs, companies like to have everything in one place for ease of use, more visibility for reporting and travel risk management,” Kavanagh said.
The FCTG Uber partnership followed a series of qualitative research sessions that FCTG’s corporate brands held with clients on the topic of ride sharing services, as well as a survey that was undertaken by the company on the shared economy.
Key results from the survey indicated:
- 84% use some form of ride sharing for car transport
- 86% had used Uber as a form of ride sharing car transport for work or personal
- 83% believe ride sharing services are appropriate and safe for work travel
- 86% believe that Uber is a mainstream service
“The fact that 86% of people consider Uber to be a mainstream travel option and 83% believe ride sharing services are appropriate and safe for work travel, clearly indicates that this increasingly popular way to travel from A to B should be incorporated into our services to help clients better manage their road trips and program spend in this area,” Kavanagh concluded.
Edited by Peter Needham
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