​Business travelers are bypassing the taxi queue with greater frequency, choosing instead ride-hailing services like Uber Technologies.

A new report by expense management system provider Certify shows that 47 percent of the ground transportation rides by its users in March were through Uber. That’s more than tripled from the 14 percent of rides that Uber had just over a year ago in January 2014. In a few cities, Uber now tops taxi rides for business travelers.

“While we often see noteworthy market shifts — leading restaurant chains and hotels exchanging leadership positions, for example — it is unprecedented to see one vendor grow to take such a commanding market share within one year’s time,” says Certify CEO Bob Neveu.

[Uber offers service in the Research Triangle area and has faced resistance from local taxi drivers as well as from Raleigh Durham International Airport. The Triangle was not cited in the new report.]

  • Inside the report: What’s up with Uber vs. Taxis?

Certify’s Q1 analysis uncovered that ridesharing services are quickly transforming the market for taxicabs and limousines. In Q1 of 2015, an average 46% of all total paid car rides were through Uber, compared with 15% in Q1 of 2014. Rides with taxicabs (a category which includes limousines and shuttles) dropped to an average 53% of paid car receipts in the first quarter, compared with 85% in Q1 of 2014.

While the shift toward Uber is driven by the preferences of individual business travelers, company accounting departments should also be happy. Certify’s data indicates that using Uber is generally cheaper: the average ride for Q1 was $31.24 on Uber, compared with $35.40 for taxis.

“More companies are choosing Uber for Business every day to offer their employees a safe, affordable and reliable option in over 300 cities globally,” says Max Crowley, manager of Uber for Business. “Across business travel we have seen the strongest growth on uberX, our lowest cost option. Employees recognize the value of riding with Uber and are saving their companies money in the process.”

“The business community is looking for value and convenience, and at the same time this is a group that is interested in innovation,” says Robert Neveu, CEO of Certify. “Ridesharing services are making inroads into corporate budgets because they combine all of those things.”

The Certify report also offers an analysis of Uber’s growing market share in several major U.S. urban markets including New York City, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

“The sharing economy is bringing disruption to all of these markets, but it’s fascinating to see how that disruption unfolds from city to city,” says Neveu. “For example, business people in Dallas and San Francisco are now expensing Uber more often than taxis, while taxis still dominate market share in New York.”

Read more at: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/certify-releases-q1-2015-report-113000380.html

While taxis, limousines and airport shuttles still dominate the ground transportationbusiness, Certify’s report shows ride-hailing services are rapidly on the rise amongbusiness travelers. Certify based its finding on the 28 million trip receipts its North American clients submit each year.

Uber connects travelers with various cars through its smartphone app. Some drivers work for car service companies; others spend a few hours driving their personal cars on the side for some extra money.

Business travelers might be quickly moving toward Uber, but their employers have some major concerns.

Mike McCormick, executive director of the Global Business Travel Association, notes that many companies are worried about issues of safety and liability. Depending on the city,Uber drivers aren’t necessarily regulated by government taxi licensing authorities. Big limousine or airport shuttle companies carry insurance; individuals moonlighting as drivers don’t always, though both Uber and competitor Lyft insure their drivers during paid rides. McCormick says that becomes a liability and “duty of care” issue for companies sending workers on trips.

Uber has faced criticism that its employees inappropriately accessed customer data and that it does not properly screen drivers to ensure they have clean criminal records.

In a few cities, Uber beats out taxis by a wide margin for business travelers. In its home town of San Francisco, 71 percent of rides expensed through Certify during the first quarter were for Uber; 29 percent used taxis. Uber also beat out all other forms of ground transportation in Dallas, accounting for 56 percent of the rides.

In Los Angeles and Washington D.C., Uber represented 49 percent of business travelrides. Taxis, limousines and airport shuttles still reigned in New York, Miami and Chicago where they took 79 percent, 77 percent and 75 percent of rides expensed, respectively.