Have you ever been to a large city zoo and been overcome by its size? I have memories of the San Francisco Fleishackers Zoo; it is massive at 100 acres and trying to find, much less see everything, is a daunting task. It is a marathon running back and forth between exhibits; you have to pick highlights, you enjoy what you decide to see but walk away wondering what you missed.
I find the GBTA Convention experience very similar to the zoo. For ground transportation the good news is there are more ground suppliers attending, from rental car companies and limo companies to TNCs (transportation network companies) and all the technology that help drive them. The educational sessions on ground transportation were very few, which is the case for most travel conventions.
Lesson 1: Ground transport RFPs
I was on the panel for the ground RFPs session. The jest of our conversation is that buyers need to go to RFP in the first place, as there are mostly likely savings, service and improved liability except in the TNC (transportation network company such as Uber or Lyft) category. With the TNCs you want to mitigate your liability.
The next point was that traditional RFPs on price and service need to include technology, especially mobility and the connectivity to the traveller, which I'll discuss further in the article. In the rental car area those companies are adding services that need to be considered such as car sharing, ride hailing, parking and leasing to name a few.
Lesson 2: What ground providers are focused on
The convention featured women in leadership and all three car rental firms have women in leadership. Enterprise Holdings has Pam Nicholson as CEO and its' EVP and COO Chrissy Taylor, granddaughter of the founder Jack Taylor, was on a panel about consolidation and was very articulate in making the case that through acquisition and organic growth Enterprise Holdings has been able to grow to the largest rental car company by far in the world. It is now emphasising mobility and connectivity to the traveller by continuing to develop technology internally and by investing in technology-related companies.
Hertz's new CMO Jodi Allen was also on centre stage on for a women leaders session where she explained how the car rental firm is paving the way for women. Hertz also has Kathryn V. Marinello as the President and CEO of The Hertz Corporation.
Several providers touted mobility and connectivity to the traveller, such as Sixt, Addison Lee (now a global limo provider since it acquired Flyte Tyme and TriStar) and Dav EL / Boston Coach.
Avis used Lego to build an airport and car rental pick-up and return scene and explained how geofencing and telematics works to make the process simpler for the traveller. It was actually very informative and quite frankly made it easier to understand how mobility is making the process easier and more seamless for the customer.
Lesson 3: Learning what mobility and connectivity is
All the major players were speaking about it.
There is some terminology you need to get used to and understand. Telematics and geofencing are two of them.
A geofence is an invisible electronic fence. When an automobile crosses that fence it relays information, using in car telematics and cell technology, to a supplier's computer such as how many miles are on the car or how much gas is in the tank.
Then there are the apps; these are the delivery applications used by travellers to connect to the supplier and their vehicles, and in the case of chauffeur driven vehicles, to the drivers. There is on demand (TNCs) and near-demand (limo companies); the app functionality is becoming better and so is the time difference that it takes for the car to arrive for the limo companies. That time difference is becoming much closer to the TNCs in larger cities.
Rental car companies were promoting the ability to pick or change your car, add baby seats or get to a calculating tool that determines when a rental is more cost effective than using your personal car, or a connection to a parking app to reduce parking costs.
All of that technology connects the traveller electronically to the supplier and the supplier to both the traveller and the automobile they are in. It allows information to be sent back and forth between both parties.
These are a few of the many things the rental car companies are coming up with to enhance the experience of the traveller and give them the ability to manage the rental process from reservation to return. In the limo world their goal is to produce an app more like the TNCs in functionality and delivery. Some of the larger suppliers are making progress with their apps and the connectivity including direct connections.
Lesson 4: Further investment is needed
Here's what is missing; the race to mobility and connectivity to traveller is very costly and time consuming. Every supplier admitted that they were working behind the scenes to improve what they have today and could/would not talk about what is in the works for the future. If you do your due diligence you will see the investments by the suppliers being made and partnerships with technology related companies.
The other missing information is which locations the apps work in and how well do they work? Are they very simple and seamless to use or complicated and clunky? Companies need to do their due diligence on what is promised and what they can actually deliver.
All these suppliers realise that the ground transportation business is changing and blurring. The suppliers want to be able to connect to business travellers so they have a seamless experience and travellers return for all their ground transportation needs, or even other related travel needs, in the future. They don't want you leaving their app. Remember the big disruptor is coming; autonomous vehicles will change everything.
Lesson 5: Negotiate on-spot for alternative transport options too
Finally, in San Diego I would be remiss as a ground transportation writer to not mention the bike peddling human-powered rickshaws and the portable dockless shooters.
The bike rickshaws are a ton fun to ride in and at night light up with colourful lights and rocking music. If travellers ever choose this ride remember this one rule, set your price before getting on or deal with the shocking amount of cash you will have to spend for a short ride.
The dockless scooters, which are paid for via smart phone, were everywhere and looked fun. I did not try one as I did not want to end up on YouTube and having already gained experience on the rickshaw was in shock from that financial lesson.