Four out of ten business travelers use a private car for their work
Business trips by car require a thorough check-up, according to a study conducted by Gebta, Volkswagen and Europcar. The private car is involved in four out of 10 business trips and accounts for 28% of all road trips. Road safety is confirmed as the first concern of travelers, due to the fact that vehicles are not adequately equipped.
The first study ‘Road mobility for business travel in Spain’, prepared by Gebta in collaboration with Europcar and Volkswagen, highlights the opportunities for improvement in road mobility for business travel, in a market that has an approximate size of 1,900 million euros.
The main recommendation derived from the study, in view of the characteristics and habits of vehicle use on business trips, to reduce the probability of accidents on the road, is the withdrawal from circulation of those vehicles whose performance and characteristics present a greater risk.
The study, which has been prepared from more than 200 companies of different sizes and a qualitative sample of nearly 500 travelers from all over Spain, corroborates the advisability of companies and corporations to review and adapt their vehicles to the new regulations;as and corporations to review and adapt their travel and vehicle travel policies in order to improve the safety and productivity of their employees.
CONCLUSIONS
- High intensity and frequency of road travel by business travelers in Spain: According to the data collected by the study, 53% of travelers who travel to meetings and work visits do so by vehicle, daily, and 15% between two and three times a week, making an average of more than 2.350 km per month, mostly intercity and mainly on highways or freeways.
- The profile of the business traveler in Spain: male, employed, unaccompanied and usually connected to the mobile phone to work: Based on the results obtained, the profile of the Spanishñol road warrior corresponds mostly to a man (75%), who is employed (65%) and travels unaccompanied, making a daily average of more than 105 km.
The study also highlights that, among the habits of drivers, is to make or answer phone calls, either intensively (17%), frequently (38%) or sporadically, in order to more efficiently carry out their professional responsibilities. The vehicle and the commuting period thus become an extension of the work space and time.
- The private vehicle, transporting four out of 10 business trips: The private vehicle accounts for 28% of the total mode of transport used, ahead of the company vehicle (17%) or rental car (18%) and is well ahead of the cab or car with driver and public transport (15% and 12% respectively).
- Characteristics of the fleet used: performance deficits and opportunities for improvement in the interest of greater safety. With regard to the characteristics and average profile of the fleet used, the report identifies that, in a significant number of cases, the vehicles do not meet the recommended conditions in terms of safety, particularly in terms of the intensity and use by business travelers. This situation is most pronounced among road warriors who use their own private vehicles: more than 20% do not have a hands-free device, 18% lack ABS, 42% do not have GPS and almost 80% drive without a traffic jam and/or accident warning system.
- Safety, the main concern of drivers: In line with the intensive use of the vehicle for business trips, the risk of accidents ranks first among the concerns expressed by road warriors (24%), ahead of the immediate side effects related to long hours of driving;
The impact in terms of work backlog and the impossibility of attending to professional obligations adequately, or in conditions similar to those they would have in their offices (22%).
All the areas for improvement
ForMarcel Forns, general manager of Gebta, “the mobility policy associated with road travel for Spanish companies, requires a vision of the mobility policy associated with road travel;olas requires a comprehensive vision and a thorough review, which must be approached from the triple perspective of safety, efficiency-productivity, as well as cost for the company”.
For his part,Tobias Zisik, commercial director of Europcar in Spain, explains that the results of this study, with the high percentages of use of private and company cars, show that company travel policies are not always in line with the needs of the company;The results of this study, with the high percentages of private and company car use, show that company travel policies are not yet taking full advantage of the possibilities offered by the new mobility options, which are moving more towards car sharing than car ownership. One example is carsharing, which is increasingly used for intercity leisure trips, but is only used in just 5% of cases when traveling on business.