Geoffrey Riesel is CEO of ground transport booking platform One Transport. He talks to Paul Revel about procurement, policy and driving savings for the BBC
Tell us about the history of One Transport and how it developed?
It is owned by the Radio Taxis Group, but operates independently. Radio Taxis was a London taxi drivers’ co-operative, which demutualised in 2004. I describe One Transport as poacher turned gamekeeper – we diversified into private hire ourselves, because our goal was to offer a “one stop shop” for ground transport to public bodies, government departments and corporates.
How does your platform help corporate travel programmes?
An important aspect is how One Transport saves on procurement costs. One third of government spend is procurement of services and goods. I was recently at a Chamber of Commerce meeting, and [Cabinet office minister] Francis Maude agreed that procurement costs were a key area for government to make savings. Our biggest client is the BBC – in our first year we saved £1 million for the BBC.
Also, the system is a rules engine, completely configurable to the client’s travel policy. It’s has all sorts of capabilities including calculating P11D [expenses and benefits] tax implications for private journeys.
So how do you save procurement costs?
You don’t need a department managing lots of different suppliers, bills and sets of management information. We do it all and they get one bill. We have 28 London vendors on the platform, most are fully integrated – 90 per cent in London now, and 300 suppliers across the UK, plus reciprocal agreements around the world.
We’re driving towards full integration across the UK. It’s also particularly high in Manchester, following the BBC’s move there. Companies can have our platform on their intranet and drive people to book online. Another cost factor is price transparency – our Virtual Fleet patented back-office system monitors prices. The system gives a price and operator has to charge that amount.
How do you charge customers?
Our fees are not related to the fare – we charge the client a journey management fee, and the vendor a fee.
Are the fees open for negotiation?
Yes, the large organisations will run a procurement process for the platform. We managed all the shuttle transport for LOCOG at the London Olympics – they’ve since been quoted saying we were one of their best contractors.
What about booking on mobile devices?
We’re piloting a device with a client right now. The devices have all the traveller’s profile details on the app, including policy rules, HR information, insurance and project codes. The GPS works out where you are, so it can send the nearest vehicle. I expect it to be rolled out to other clients in the next three months.
How can Cabshare help corporates make savings?
If the tool detects somebody else in your organisation is going on a similar journey, it interrogates you when you’re booking, asking if you have a window time-wise and are happy to share the vehicle with a colleague. This device can be switched on or off, it’s up to the client – and it’s up to facility managers to drive uptake among employees and make savings.
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