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14 Apr 2026
Where's your traveller? Exposing the visibility crisis in business travel.
New independent research from ground transport and accommodation management specialist, CMAC Group, reveals two-thirds (67%) of corporate ground transport activity is invisible to travel managers, increasing exposure to cost and traveller safety risks.
The national biennial study conducted by Censuswide surveyed 500 business travellers to uncover their priorities, challenges and expectations. The findings show a widening gap between corporate policy and actual booking behaviour as international travel and app-based payments reshape how journeys are arranged.
While 83% of travel managers mandate approved providers, only 33% of bookings are made through compliant channels. 50% of business taxi journeys are arranged independently, reducing organisational visibility of spend and traveller safeguarding.
Many of these journeys take place late at night, overseas or without colleagues present. In total, 17% of travellers say they do not feel safety is a priority to their organisation, 7% reporting theft, 13% experiencing road accidents and 10% reporting physical assault.
The shift towards personal and mobile payments is pushing bookings even further outside managed systems. 60% of travellers now use personal cards or cash for business taxi journeys, up from 49% in 2023, while mobile payments have risen to 36%.
Ashley Seed, Chief Commercial Officer, CMAC Group, says: “Many organisations assume that having a travel policy in place means that ground transport is controlled. The research shows most activity is not captured within approved channels. When only one in three bookings sits within policy, businesses lack clear oversight of spend and weaken duty of care protections. Ground transport journeys may often be short, but the financial and safety implications remain significant. A managed programme for business brings this activity back into view, helping businesses protect their people, enforce standards and make more informed decisions on spend.”
Adoption of managed programmes has risen from 15% in 2023 to 33% in 2025, yet most corporate ground transport activity still sits outside compliant systems.
The full white paper, ‘Where’s Your Traveller? Exposing the Visibility Crisis in Business Travel’, is available to download here.
The national biennial study conducted by Censuswide surveyed 500 business travellers to uncover their priorities, challenges and expectations. The findings show a widening gap between corporate policy and actual booking behaviour as international travel and app-based payments reshape how journeys are arranged.
While 83% of travel managers mandate approved providers, only 33% of bookings are made through compliant channels. 50% of business taxi journeys are arranged independently, reducing organisational visibility of spend and traveller safeguarding.
Many of these journeys take place late at night, overseas or without colleagues present. In total, 17% of travellers say they do not feel safety is a priority to their organisation, 7% reporting theft, 13% experiencing road accidents and 10% reporting physical assault.
The shift towards personal and mobile payments is pushing bookings even further outside managed systems. 60% of travellers now use personal cards or cash for business taxi journeys, up from 49% in 2023, while mobile payments have risen to 36%.
Ashley Seed, Chief Commercial Officer, CMAC Group, says: “Many organisations assume that having a travel policy in place means that ground transport is controlled. The research shows most activity is not captured within approved channels. When only one in three bookings sits within policy, businesses lack clear oversight of spend and weaken duty of care protections. Ground transport journeys may often be short, but the financial and safety implications remain significant. A managed programme for business brings this activity back into view, helping businesses protect their people, enforce standards and make more informed decisions on spend.”
Adoption of managed programmes has risen from 15% in 2023 to 33% in 2025, yet most corporate ground transport activity still sits outside compliant systems.
The full white paper, ‘Where’s Your Traveller? Exposing the Visibility Crisis in Business Travel’, is available to download here.
