Uber Strikes Deals With 5 Travel Companies

by Michele McDonald August 21, 2014

Uber, a taxi alternative and ride-sharing company – some observers call it a taxi killer –announced five new deals with United Airlines, Sabre’s TripCase, TripAdvisor, Expensify and Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, made possible by Uber’s new API.

The announcements came one day after Uber revealed that David Plouffe, President Obama’s 2008 campaign manager, would join the company in September as senior vice president for policy and strategy.

Here are some details of the deals:

• TripCase from Sabre integrated with the Uber API to pre-populate pickup and dropoff locations whenever possible. Users who book Uber through TripCase will receive special discount pricing.

• Expensify and Uber will introduce SmartRides to Expensify Trips, which tracks a user’s hotel reservations and provides flight status updates. With SmartRides, an Uber car can be automatically ordered to pick up the traveler at the airport.

In coming weeks, Expensify will fully integrate with Uber For Business, allowing central billing and management of employees’ Uber trip.

• United Airlines customers will be able to access Uber via United’s iOS or Android mobile app.

• TripAdvisor said travelers can reserve a ride with Uber to restaurants, attractions and hotels by tapping a “Ride With Uber” button on the TripAdvisor mobile app or mobile website.

• Hyatt’s newly revamped mobile app will display an Uber button in the My Reservations section from the day of check-in to the day of checkout. First-time users will receive an Uber credit.

Fighting regulatory battles
Plouffe was hired to do battle with regulatory agencies in several locations where Uber operates.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick explained the move in his blog, saying that the company’s “simple mission” to make transportation reliable “has become a surprisingly controversial topic.” (See sidebar.)

Uber is “in the middle of a political campaign and it turns out the candidate is Uber,” he wrote.

“Our opponent – the Big Taxi cartel – has used decades of political contributions and influence to restrict competition, reduce choice for consumers, and put a stranglehold on economic opportunity for its drivers.”

Recommends Uber to clients
Not surprisingly, traditional ground transportation companies warn people not to patronize companies like Uber due to insurance and safety issues.

David LeCompte, chief executive officer of Short’s Travel Management, said he uses Uber whenever he travels and recommends it to customers.

“I think it is very traveler-centric,” he said in an email.

“Taxi companies/drivers have gotten lazy with customer service.” A lot of cabs are dirty or broken and “you can’t complain (or they don’t listen if you do).”

Uber cars are clean, drivers are usually more pleasant than cabbies, and they are on time, he said.

The downside of Uber is that drivers don’t know their destinations as well as taxi drivers, LeCompte said, but if the customer plugs the address into the Uber app before pickup, the driver will use it for GPS guidance.

Growing acceptance
Some travel management companies have cautioned against using Uber, but the tide may well be turning.

At the Global Business Travel Association last month, Bill Glenn, president and CEO of American Express Global Business Travel, said he welcomed such innovators.

American Express has partnered with Uber and Concur to enable U.S. corporate card clients to enroll employees and capture Uber receipts within Concur.