Post-pandemic mobility may be considerably different from what it was before, as firms adjust how they work and become more flexible. Fuelcards.com examine the challenges surrounding the evolving nature of business travel.
Mobility-as-a-service (Maas) has been marketed as a new method of transportation in the last decade, allowing individuals to move between different modes of transportation effectively.
The notion began with the idea that, particularly inside cities, you could join up with a single provider who could then supply various modes of transportation, as well as route planning, ticketing, and booking, all at one cost.
Digitisation and electrification are important for Maas development, but so are public and shared transportation: the Department of Transport stated in its Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy plan in 2019 that mass transit must remain fundamental to an efficient transport system and that mobility innovation will come from sharing rides and increasing occupancy.
However, with the outbreak of Covid-19, all of that has changed, and it’s uncertain if Maas will ever become a reality in its pre-pandemic form because people’s motivations for travel have shifted. According to a McKinsey & Company study, reducing the risk of infection is now the essential factor in transportation decisions, surpassing price, convenience, and time.
A fresh perspective on business travel
Even if business travel is now conducted in different ways, as the world returns to a more traditional working style, there will still be a need for it.
The rise of mobility-as-a-service may result in many new travel options available via digital platforms, but not necessarily the ones we previously would have imagined.
While a corporate organisation may have historically had arrangements with a few suppliers for services like rental and private hiring, the transition to post-pandemic mobility may result in considerably more varied and divergent transportation options.
The fleet manager’s evolving role
Historically, the great majority of corporate mobility has clearly been defined as company vehicles, rentals, railroads, and taxis. However, as the variety of modes of transportation grows, perceptions toward what constitutes an acceptable mode of transportation for every business trip may vary, and the fleet manager’s job may shift as well.
This may also include becoming a mobility manager for many fleet managers, examining digital communication, business cars, salary sacrifice, rental, and other transportation options.
Managing payments and suppliers
Because of the upheaval of conventional business travel and communication conventions, increasing digitalisation, and expanded choice, all under the shadow of Covid-19, many firms may spend the next several years struggling with how to best move their workers around.
The number of suppliers a company must manage has the potential to skyrocket, with corresponding increases in contracts and providers, administration, invoicing, and expense reclaim, making cost control a more complicated issue that requires greater monitoring.
If you have recently invested in company cars, why not enquire about fuel cards to make your fleet run more smoothly? Fuelcards.com are a leading fuel card supplier in the UK and Ireland and help many business fleets. Get in touch today to see what we can do for your business.
