The ground transport market is going through what Jeremy Thompson of UK-based car firm Absolutely described to me recently as "tumultuous times". "Uber has changed the market in a big way and put pressure on taxis in particular," he went on. "Private hire businesses have been less affected as it's usually pre-booked and used by a different type of client."
The below chart shows how the split in submitted expense claims through Certify has changed in the last few years. Data for pre-booked car services is not shown, but from expense claims you can see the dip for taxis and car hire firms. While these are mainly US figures I wouldn't be surprised if you'd see similar in Europe.
2016 saw big changes across the entire ground transport industry (see box) and the news continues to roll in. The first press release I received when I was back at my 
desk in the New Year was the news that Addison Lee has acquired Flyte Tyme Worldwide Transportation and Flyte Line Transportation, six months after the former bought Tristar Worldwide.
Technology, whether it's payment, booking or expense, and global expansion are often at the centre of new developments. On-demand transport apps have upped the game in what's expected of mobile and service. Back in November 2015 our ground transport Expert David Kilduff wrote that car rental companies and chauffeur firms are making moves to compete with the on-demand trend.
There's another technology threat coming in the form of electric and connected cars. This interesting white paper from Avis talks about how technology could be used or if you really want your mind blown then peruse Uber's concepts for on-demand urban air transport.
Before all that though there are drivers, safety and laws to consider. It feels like Uber has taken over some cities but it is faced with a never-ending string of lawsuits and try as it might cannot be a completely global player if countries like Germany ban it (much to the bemusement of some attendees at GBTA Europe in Frankfurt in November) and it battles against regulations set out by the likes of Transport for London. It is also still very city focused.
Travel managers often want global coverage from car providers but does that mean having cars available or decent reporting? If it's visibility then it could be a job for your online booking tool and/or risk management, not just the supplier.