Travel Managers Will Lean More on Car Services and Even Buses in Early Recovery: Can They Deliver?


Skift Take

Ground transportation is often the weakest link in a travel program, but if suppliers ramp up their safety protocols in a similar way to the airline and hotel sectors, they'll play a pivotal role for those travel managers eager to rev their businesses back up.

“Where’s my bodyguard going to sit?” It's not something Mo Garkani, CEO of chauffeur company COTS Group, said he's usually asked by clients. But it’s a question he’s getting used to as social distancing and other safety protocols come into play. Travel managers will also face similar conundrums. Many corporations overlook the ground transportation sector as it’s often seen as a weaker compared to airline and hotel programs.

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But that could soon change as cars, taxis, limousines and even buses surge in demand as companies search for the safest mode of transport in the early recovery phases. Swapping Seats And that high demand is already here, according to global chauffeur service Blacklane. “Our average distance is increasing during this crisis — more than doubling,” Sascha Meskendahl, chief revenue officer, told Skift. "We’re already seeing shifts