Uber survey: Cost control ranks ahead of sustainability
Cost efficiency, modern mobility requirements and the digitalization of processes play a greater role than sustainability in business travel – at least from a company perspective.
At 62 percent, almost two-thirds say cost savings are among their priorities. Transparency in spending is essential for 46 percent, and user-friendliness for employees for 39 percent. Sustainability is a priority for only 35 percent. This is the result of a survey conducted by Uber for Business and the opinion research institute YouGov. Over 600 decision-makers for business mobility in Germany were interviewed.
Cost control and expense managementAccordingly, current challenges include difficulties in tracking travel expenses (45 percent), managing different mobility providers across different regions (44 percent), and managing expense receipts (43 percent).
The trend in travel budgets is also evident: More than a third (35 percent) of companies have increased their focus on cost savings in 2025 compared to 2024. The same number of survey participants report having actually reduced their budgets. Only nine percent have increased their budgets. 57 percent have barely changed their travel budgets compared to the previous year.
Flexibility and other employee needsThirty-eight percent of respondents stated that their company allows employees to freely choose their mode of transportation for their trips. Flexibility clearly ranks higher than the traditional company car (24 percent). In general, most companies allow the use of public transportation (92 percent), rental cars (85 percent), and ground transportation in general (82 percent).
When it comes to employee needs, there are significant differences from the company's assumptions. For example, 75 percent of the mobility decision-makers surveyed stated that ease of booking is important to their travelers. Almost three-quarters (73 percent) also cited easy expense reporting as a priority. Above all, employees are becoming more environmentally conscious. Over half (55 percent) consider sustainable travel options desirable.
Lack of sustainability conceptsDespite public debates on climate protection, sustainability is no longer a top priority for many in 2025. In many places, concrete goals are lacking: 71 percent of respondents state that their company does not have a sustainability strategy for ground transportation. This breaks down into 53 percent who have not considered the topic at all, and 19 percent who would be open to it if they had a tracking solution. Only 29 percent are already actively recording their emissions and working to reduce them.
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