Uber for Business also makes bleisure possible thanks to its billing model. We spoke to Joachim Marschal, Country Manager for DACH, about developments in the business travel market, mobility budgets and the Business Taxi option.
Mr Marschal, to what extent are you yourself a bleisure or workation traveller? Where did you go most recently? What do you look for and find on such trips?
I’m not a big workation traveller myself, as I try to spend as much time as possible with my family at home. But I am certainly tempted by the idea – ideally together with my family. After all, I love travelling and getting to know cities and cultures in general; it not only broadens my horizons but is also great fun. I think it’s a brilliant idea to spend a little more time in these places after work to really be able to immerse yourself.
But the global business travel market is characterised by a decline in volume due to the rise of remote working and cost-cutting measur How do you view the challenges and changes in the business travel market?
We can certainly see that companies are keeping a close eye on costs, however sustainability remains important too. That’s why people are travelling more consciously. Above all, efficiency, comfort, and simple, digital processes are what really count. We take a positive view of developments in Germany. After all, our figures also show that business travel continues to be of great importance. The German Travel Management Association (VDR) confirms this too and notes growth in business travel by 2025. Small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular, travel very frequently and do so very efficiently.
Bleisure and workations are a modern benefit for employees. However, companies face many compliance issues in this area. What solutions do you offer?
To simplify the management of these processes for companies, we offer technical solutions on our platform to enhance compliance. For example, companies can set guidelines for travel expenses and specify which types of vehicles may be booked or how budgets may be used. In addition, we offer solutions for straightforward expense claims and effortless cost management using widely implemented systems such as SAP Concur, Coupa, and Chrome River.
How do you facilitate bleisure and workations?
The big advantage of Uber for Business is that you can use the same Uber app for your business trips that you’re already familiar with from your personal life. Switching between business and personal journeys – and vice versa – is very straightforward. You can easily adjust this in the journey overview within the app at the touch of a button. This is perfect for bleisure. Uber aims to become a super-app and has, amongst other things, announced the integration of hotel bookings with Expedia. In this context, what is planned for Uber for Business, or what else could you envisage?
Among other things, we’ve received a lot of feedback that business travellers would like even more convenient travel options via our platform. That’s why we’ve launched the Business Taxi option. This feature has been developed specifically for the German market and offers a premium travel experience with modern, well-maintained vehicles and professional, highly-rated drivers. We’ll continue to strive to meet such requests as best as we can in the future.
Thank you for talking to us!
Photo: © Uber for Business
