When business travelers devise how they’ll get to meetings while on the road, they’re increasingly pulling up their Uber apps for transportation rather than waiting in line at a car rental counter.
Car rental companies shouldn’t feel completely defeated as this category overall still accounts for 50% of ground transport expenses, Certify’s fourth quarter 2014 expense report found. Breaking things down, taxis made up 29% of ground transport expenses and Uber constituted 21%.
Uber demonstrated small growth with business travelers using Certify, inching from 3% of all expenses in the third quarter of 2013 to 5% last quarter, but it’s still the top rated ground transport service at 4.8 out of 5 stars.
On average, an Uber ride cost about $2 more than a taxi, $32.48 vs. $30.58, the report found. Lyft only accounted for 0.42% of all ground transport expenses.
Top 5 Most Expensed Ground Transport Services (Taxis, Ride Shares, Car Rentals)
| Vendor | % of Total Expenses | Avg. Cost Per Receipt |
|---|---|---|
| Taxi cabs (general) | 29% | $30.58 |
| Uber | 21% | $32.48 |
| National | 15% | $176.50 |
| Avis | 7.40% | $180.81 |
| Enterprise | 6.43% | $185.42 |
Source: Certify
The restaurant category claimed the highest percentage of all expenses last quarter (21%), followed by airlines (15%), accommodations (14%) and car rentals (5%).
Top 5 Most Expensed Restaurants
| Vendor | % of Total Expenses | Avg. Cost Per Receipt |
|---|---|---|
| Starbucks | 4.63% | $10.44 |
| McDonald’s | 2.86% | $8.00 |
| Panera Bread | 1.53% | $39.65 |
| Subway | 1.59% | $15.70 |
| Dunkin Donuts | 1.28% | $12.16 |
Source: Certify
Business travelers also reported spending less on airlines last quarter than the previous quarter, based on the average cost per receipt, but the change could be seasonal in nature. Delta saw a 35% decrease for the average cost per receipt, United had a 16% decrease and American Airlines 11%. These airlines still made the top five, respectively, but U.S. Airways dropped from number four to number five, and Alaska Airlines fell out of the top five and was replaced by Southwest at number four.
Last March, Concur said Airbnb was among the fastest growing lodging options on expense reports submitted by its clients. On Certify, however, the site barely showed up on its clients’ expense reporting for the fourth quarter, accounting for less than one percent of accommodation expenses.
Top 5 Most Expensed Airlines
| Vendor | % of Total Expenses | Avg. Cost Per Receipt |
|---|---|---|
| Delta | 20.05% | $403.46 |
| United Airlines | 14.19% | $411.11 |
| American Airlines | 10.95% | $363.63 |
| Southwest | 9.29% | $297.04 |
| US Airways | 8.79% | $302.46 |
Top 5 Most Expensed Hotels
| Vendor | % of Total Expenses | Avg. Cost Per Receipt |
|---|---|---|
| Marriott | 8.72% | $242.69 |
| Hampton Inn | 8.13% | $212.74 |
| Courtyard By Marriott | 6.33% | $168.24 |
| Holiday Inn | 4.11% | $170.38 |
| Holiday Inn Express | 3.88% | $211.35 |
Source: Certify
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