Mobility company Cabify has launched a new route-combination
service for corporate clients that allows firms to arrange and bundle trips
with the same origin and drop-off point so employees can share rides on their
way home or to work.
The Spanish start-up claims to have 65,000 companies
registered to use the platform with 33 million individual users in 11 countries
worldwide. All corporate users now have to option to book combined trips up to
90 days in advance, with the system automatically programming routes and
arranging riders and costs in an efficient and affordable way, according to the
company.
Marcela Cardenas, Cabify’s global VP of sales, said: “Shared
mobility will be an instrumental part of the solutions for cities’ major challenges
in the realm of quality of life, air and urban space. We are determined to keep
supporting our corporate clients – who play a key role in enhancing urban
mobility and employees’ wellbeing – with a service that reduces polluting
emissions, congestion, costs and health and safety risks. These benefits are
indeed deepened by our global investment plan to provide drivers with
protective equipment as well as our verification system that ensures its
massive use and the highest security standards.”
According to Cabify, its research on post-Covid mobility conducted
in May found 67 per cent of ride-hailing users prioritise health security over
quality or price when selecting their means of transport. The company has introduced
a number of bio-security measures for its operations, which included a US$1
million investment plan to distribute and install protective equipment for
vehicles and drivers such as face masks, gloves and protective screens.
The company’s research also found cost is a key component
for corporates as they return to business travel, with 48 per cent of
respondents saying they will carry out tighter control over expenditure as a
result of the pandemic. Forty-four per cent of companies plan to raise their
use of private vehicles and 34 per cent the use of ride-hailing services.
According to Cabify, an average three-rider trip model in cities such as
Bogota, Santiago de Chile, or Madrid results in a 48 per cent reduction in total
cost per trip for corporate clients.
In addition, Cabify says the three-rider model also reduces
the carbon footprint of the journey by 20 to 40 per cent compared to trips
booked individually.