Taxi travel is continuing to create a ¡°critical gap¡± in corporate travel policies leading to increased safety and compliance risk, according to a new report by ground transport specialist CMAC Group.

CMAC¡¯s research found that 50 per cent of business travellers are still booking taxi travel independently and bypassing their organisation¡¯s approved systems and providers, while 33 per cent do not share any details about their taxi trips with their companies.

The report, entitled Navigating Business Travel: Taxis, Safety and Duty of Care, was launched at Business Travel Show Europe in London on Wednesday (25 June).

It found that this high level of non-compliant taxi bookings was leading to ¡°limited oversight of employee movements and reduced ability to respond in the event of an incident¡±.

Adding to the potential risks, 76 per cent of travellers usually take taxis on their own, while 47 per cent are travelling outside of their normal working hours.

Peter Slater, CEO of CMAC Group, says: ¡°Taxis are a routine part of business travel, but they remain one of the least controlled. Our research shows a clear disconnect between travel policy and practice.

¡°We offer a managed ground transport platform to help organisations book, monitor and manage every journey, providing the visibility and control needed to meet passenger safety obligations. Crucially, our approach also delivers measurable time and cost savings, so travel managers no longer need to choose between safety, efficiency and value.¡±

The report recommends a ¡°more consistent, policy-led¡± approach to taxi travel, which is supported by technology that enables centralised booking, journey tracking and reporting to improve duty-of-care to travellers.

CMAC Group manages around five million journeys per year across sectors such as aviation, rail, corporate travel and emergency services.