AmEx GBT to Integrate Lyft Into Booking Platform

American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has signed a new agreement with rideshare company Lyft that will fully integrate Lyft’s platform, data and insights for GBT client travel programs. GBT said the new partnership would make it easier for travelers to book ground transportation through Lyft, as well as for corporate travel managers to measure the benefits of reporting, cost savings and duty of care.

Benefits of the new agreement include:

  • Cost Savings: Ridesharing has quickly become the top choice of ground transportation for business travelers accounting for more than 70 percent of ground transportation receipts, GBT said, citing the Certify SpendSmart Report Q4 2017. This partnership will help corporations capture ridesharing spend and optimize savings.
  • Data Visibility: Travel managers gain insight into a comprehensive set of KPIs and data sets to optimize their ground programs. 
  • Easy Integration: Clients are quickly able to have their corporation sign up for Lyft and immediately have access to Lyft Business benefits via Lyft’s mobile app. Later this year full integration will be available via the Amex GBT Mobile app, GBT said. 
  • Traveler Benefits: Travelers gain access to GBT’s negotiated business traveler incentives/rewards and partner rewards provided by Lyft. GBT’s partnership also allows for bookings to be segmented for easier expense management.
  • Risk Management: Later this year, GBT and Lyft intend to jointly build out an integration into Expert Care, GBT’s travel disruption and risk management platform.

 The new agreement is not the first partnership GBT has made with a sharing economy company. In July 2016, GBT signed an agreement with Airbnb, integrating Airbnb’s booking information into GBT’s reporting platform, automatically sharing reservation details for each trip with GBT and allowing travel managers to access the data through corporate reporting and duty of care platforms. 

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