UK Business Travellers are Embracing the Sharing Economy

LONDON, September 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

• 51% of company travel policies now allow the use of ride sharing services 

• Millennials (those ages 18 to 34) show the greatest appetite for ride-sharing and home-sharing services and are most likely to harness technology whilst travelling 

Millennial business travellers are driving technological change as consumer travel habits continue to impact the business travel experience and corporate travel policy, according to the GBTA Global Business Traveler Sentiment Index™, in partnership with American Express.

The research, which includes a survey of 405 UK business travellers, examines satisfaction with all aspects of business travel, and pinpoints the increasing use of technological innovation.

Key UK findings from the research include:

• 51% of company travel policies now allow use of ride share services, suggesting that many companies have ensured their policy reflects the new providers and technologies available.
• Over the next three months, just over one-in-ten (11%) UK business travelers think they will increase their use of ride share services, such as Uber and Lyft. This is primarily driven by younger travellers - over a quarter (28%) of Millennials say they will increase their use of ride share services. None of those over the age of 55 surveyed have plans to increase usage.
• Home sharing usage is not yet as widespread as other shared services. Just 28% of company travel policies allow home sharing services, such as Airbnb and HomeAway to be used.
• However, almost one in ten respondents (9%) think they will imminently increase their use of home share services. The age divide is, again, evident: 22% of Millennials say they will do so, compared to only 1% of those over 55 years old.

Millennials lead the pack in using social networking sites for business communication 

• A majority of UK business travellers (62%) think technology won't replace face-to-face meetings when conducting business. Women (71%) and older workers (73% of those aged 55+) are most likely to think technology won't replace face-to-face meetings compared to half (53%) of men and 57% of Millennials.
• One-third (35%) think social networking sites help meeting up with colleagues and business contacts when travelling. This comprises over a half (53%) of Millennials, compared to only a third (34%) of those aged 35 to 54 and a mere 15% of those over 55.

Wi-Fi is considered vital to work productivity by four-in-five (81%) business travellers - and there's room to improve on-trip connectivity