Business Travel News is out with its annual Ground Transportation Survey & Report, which captures consumer (travel buyers) satisfaction of various modes of transportation including luxury ground transportation, rental cars, and ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft. Out of 10 categories in chauffeured transportation, eight had scores below 4.0 on a scale of 5, with an overall satisfaction in all categories of 3.82, which is down from 2022’s score of 3.93. In contrast, overall satisfaction with ride-hailing services was also down slightly to 3.64 in seven categories, compared to 3.67 in 2022.
Positives
Of the 10 categories, only two were above 4.0: clean, well-serviced, new model cars (4.17, a slight improvement) and quality of drivers that the company employs (4.07, down from 2022). Duty of care was a close third at 3.98, but was also below 2022 levels.
However, when several comparable categories were contrasted with ride-hailing satisfaction, chauffeured transportation easily bested those figures. This included duty of care (3.59 v. 3.98), pricing transparency (3.62 v. 3.75), and complaint/service resolution (3.48 v. 3.87). Ride-hailing beat chauffeured in quality data & reporting (3.63 v. 3.36).
When asked about sustainability, the report noted “fewer than 22 percent of survey respondents said it was a component of their chauffeured program. Among those who did flag it as part of their programs, 45 percent said their preferred supplier meets all or most of their sustainability needs, while 55 percent said only some, few or none of their needs were met.”
Areas of Concern
The top three areas that declined significantly in 2023 were negotiating pricing & amenities, availability & ease of booking, and service consistency across affiliates (see chart below). Pricing transparency was also a concern for travelers.
Also, the survey suggested that more travelers may be switching to ride-hailing services as 34 percent of respondents noted that they had a preferred ride-hailing partner (up substantially from 20 percent in 2022).
Category Scores 2022 2023
Clean, well-serviced, new model cars 4.15 4.17
Duty of care 4.0 3.98
Quality of drivers who are company employees 4.18 4.07
Quality of drivers who are independent contractors 3.91 3.82
Negotiating pricing & amenities 3.92 3.63
Pricing transparency 3.82 3.75
Availability & ease of booking 4.10 3.88
Quality data & reporting 3.44 3.36
Service consistency across affiliates 3.91 3.72
Complaint/service resolution 3.86 3.87
For a more thorough dive into the survey by BTN, as well as reactions from several key industry players, click here.
[04.18.23]