Decision-maker: Christophe Peymirat, Uber for Business

How did a company like Uber get through this unprecedented crisis?

Christophe Peymirat - Our reaction was strong and immediate. During the crisis, we took a courageous stand by asking Uber customers not to use our services in order to flatten the contagion curve by limiting travel. We also used the power of our platform to support communities with the Uber Medics option offering a 25 % discount to healthcare workers. We also offered 50,000 free Uber Eats meals in nursing homes.

And for businesses?

C.P. - We have adapted our digital platform to meet the evolving needs of businesses and cities in this 'new normal'. Since the lifting of the lockdown, the number of companies calling on Uber for Business to help their employees get around and eat at the office has increased considerably. We have therefore developed two tailor-made products: Switch - which allows companies to create a programme covering the cost of transporting employees between home and the office using the Uber range of products (UberX, Comfort, etc.) - and Eats for Businessthrough which companies can offer their employees access to safe food delivery at home, at the office or on the road.

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When do you expect business to return to normal?

Christophe Peymirat - The trends are encouraging, and new use cases are developing, as with our Commute products. I'm still optimistic, but it's impossible today to predict when we'll see the return of international business customers, for example.

What do business customers represent globally and in France?

C.P. - We are counting on 65,000 corporate customers worldwide, and 6,000 in France, where Uber for Business already has a strong presence. To the consumer platform, we have added a technological layer with the definition of the travel policydifferent modes of paymentthe reporting and integration into a whole ecosystem of tools linked to business travel, both for the expense report management and for duty of care.

Since the arrival of Uber in France, other VTC services have come on the scene. How do you view the competition?

C.P. - Competition is always a good thing, as it forces progress and benefits the end consumer. There are competitors in every market, but not necessarily equivalent offerings on such a scale, given that Uber is a global player, present in 69 countries and 900 cities, including 24 in France. Uber is also the only company to offer so many means of transport via its application.

Does your new Uber Rent offer target business customers?

C.P. - At a time when the Covid crisis has revolutionised the way people work and travel, employees are no longer necessarily behind their desks and may decide to telework away from their office and home. The Uber Rent option offers them flexibility by complementing the VTC options. Using the Uber application, car hire becomes easier by listing all the vehicles available in the various rental agencies around users. Users can compare prices at a glance.

Could you diversify your activities and even become a 'super-app', like Grab, which includes hotel reservations and even cinema tickets?

C.P. - For business customers, the demands are for an enhanced transport offering. Our CEO has set a course: to become the "Amazon of transport". Selling hotels is a completely different business. We are concentrating on our core business, transport, to do it as well as possible. At the same time, we're offering more options, a more segmented offering like the Comfort range, and working on the technological aspects and integration with the business travel ecosystem.

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Building loyalty is also one of the recent developments in your offering...

C.P. - Le loyalty programme Uber Rewardslaunched in the United States, is being extended to new countries such as France, not just for business customers, but for all travellers.

READ ALSO: " Building loyalty among business travellers - what a programme!

What changes are planned for your fleet?

Christophe Peymirat - The main trend is the electric vehicle. The offer Uber Green was launched four years ago in Paris. It is now available in nine cities and accounts for more than 15 % of vehicles in France. There is strong demand for these electric vehicles from French businesses.

In terms of safety, could you extend the audio recording of races that has been tried out in Latin America?

C.P. - Safety is obviously our number one priority, and we believe that the ability to innovate through technology should help to improve the safety of passengers and drivers. But legal constraints differ from country to country, and I don't know whether what we're experimenting with in Latin America could be reproduced in Europe as part of the RGPD.

Where do you stand on the autonomous vehicle issue?

C.P. - It is well known that we are working on this subject. Tests are under way in Pittsburg with autonomous 100% vehicles. Other models are circulating in San FranciscoDallas and Washington, with a human being on board to monitor what's going on. We need to give it time, but we're already in advanced testing phases. We need to keep working to develop the technology, and there will also be a whole phase during which end consumers will have to get used to this type of service.

And in the air?

C.P. - We're already up and running in New York between JFK and Manhattan using electric helicopters. The technology works, and gradually other cities will be involved. It's a response to the problems of congestion in major cities. In Paris, if we could go faster from La Défense to CDG...