The logo for Uber is shown on a vehicle in San Francisco, California May 7, 2015.Robert Galbraith/Reuters
Taxis are losing business travellers to ride-hailing services like Uber, a survey shows.
In the three months ended in June, Uber overtook taxis as the most expensed form of ground transportation, according to expense management system provider Certify. Uber accounted for 55 per cent of ground transportation receipts compared with taxis at 43 per cent.
That's a big jump from just the beginning of the year. In the first quarter, Uber Technologies had 46 per cent of receipts tracked by Certify compared with 53 per cent for taxis.
"Established travel providers will need to adapt quickly or face further market share erosion to the sharing economy," Certify CEO Robert Neveu said in a statement.
Certify based its finding on the 28 million trip receipts its North American clients submit each year. It does not include receipts from business travellers whose companies use other services to track expenses.
Uber connects travellers with various cars through its smartphone app. Some drivers work for car service companies; others spend a few hours driving their personal cars on the side for some extra money.
Business travellers might be quickly moving toward Uber, but employers still have reservations about safety and liability. Depending on the city, Uber drivers aren't necessarily regulated by government taxi licensing authorities. Both Uber and competitor Lyft insure their drivers during paid rides and also require the drivers to carry personal auto insurance that covers them the rest of the time.
Uber's pricing compared with traditional cabs can vary. Its UberX service, often drivers in Toyota Camrys or Honda Civics, is typically cheaper, but its high-end black cars and SUVs cost a premium. During peak hours, Uber charges a "surge" premium that can add anywhere from 20 per cent on to the cost to doubling or tripling it. During really busy periods the surge can be even more.
In a few cities, Uber beat out taxis by a wide margin for business travellers. In its home town of San Francisco, 79 per cent of rides expensed through Certify during the second quarter were for Uber. In Dallas, 60 per cent were for Uber and 54 per cent in Los Angeles. Certify noted that it saw rental car transactions drop at the same time.
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