Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said at the Skift Global Forum in New York that the company's April launch of hotel booking in its app through a partnership with Expedia was part of a "generalized bet" on the direction of the travel industry. He said that because Uber operates in more than 70 countries and delivers in more than 100, the traveler comes to Uber.
Uber is laying off 3,300 employees and cutting managerial roles by 20%, consolidating teams to prioritize ridesharing, delivery, and autonomous/robotaxi investments. The company says its product portfolio remains unchanged, but travel partnerships (Hopper, Expedia, Omio) may see reduced focus as resources shift. Remote work policy tightens: only about 1% of staff remain fully remote, with a three-day-a-week in-office mandate.
Uber and Lyft have partnered with Baidu to launch Apollo Go robotaxis in London. Uber will start testing in H1 2026, and Lyft has signed a definitive agreement with testing pending regulatory approval. The UK government plans to pilot self-driving passenger services from spring.
SAP Concur and Uber for Business have integrated to automatically flow business rides into SAP Concur expense reports with trip details, eliminating lost receipts and confusion between business and personal rides. Companies can track spending in real time, identify trends, and ensure policy compliance via the Uber for Business dashboard. Employees can enjoy an exclusive Uber One discount.
A SAP Concur blog post argues that employee travel safety should extend to rideshare and other ground transportation. It cites a global survey: 77% of female travelers experienced harassment or mistreatment, 85% of LGBTQ+ travelers changed travel arrangements due to safety concerns, 54% of travelers say safety is not a top priority in their company's formal travel policy, and 67% say their company lacks technologies that make travel easier. The post recommends consolidating corporate card data with itinerary details, tracking employee locations, providing neighborhood safety information, and encouraging trip sharing when using rideshare.
A SAP Concur blog post shares insights from the ProcureCon Travel Conference: 36% of hiring managers report candidates asking for a copy of the company travel policy; 75% of business travelers took a bleisure trip last year, but many travel managers do not address it in policy; 79% of travelers prefer ride-sharing, and while home-sharing carries risks like key/access processes, some companies are taking baby steps.
SAP Concur published an article recommending businesses increase rideshare use over taxis by adjusting rideshare expense and insurance policies. It notes rideshares are typically safer and less expensive than taxis, and that rideshare apps track and share itineraries and locations, helping organizations fulfill duty of care. The article provides a potential savings formula and notes best-practice rideshare spend percentages range from 41% to 77% depending on industry.
A SAP Concur blog post highlights that rogue spend burdens finance teams, with IDC finding roughly 80% of spend managers' time goes to lower-level tasks such as invoice matching, purchase requisition, and vendor management. It recommends rewarding compliant employees (Rocketrip saves an average of 30% on travel expenses), integrating rideshare spend (Uber for Business and Lyft Business save an average of 30% on ground transportation), using financial integrators to connect spend data, and leveraging VAT reclaim solutions (increasing reclaim by up to 50%).