Half of the world’s corporations permit employees to use
ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft, the Global Business Travel
Association (GBTA) said.
The percentage of travel policies allowing for ride-hailing
use rose to 50% last September from 44% last June, GBTA said, citing a poll it
took of more than 3,000 business travelers in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Mexico,
Australia, Germany, Hong Kong and Japan. GBTA worked with American Express on
the study.
Between June and September 2016, usage of Lyft and Uber rose
21%. And while just 30% of corporate travel policies permitted Airbnb and
HomeAway as an accommodations option, usage of such services rose 20% for the
three months ended September 2016.
Uber and Concur in 2014 reached an agreement in which
businesses can link their Uber and Concur accounts to allow for easier expense
management. As part of that agreement, American Express corporate cardholders
could start earning and using loyalty points on Uber.