Budgetary pressures push sustainability into second place as costs savings with cost saving top priority for business travel in 2026 …
A new study by Uber for Business shows that cost reduction will be the key focus for business travel managers in the next year.
Research conducted by London-based research-tech startup Stride Rides among travel executives in large businesses showed that 78% consider cost saving to be a top priority for the next twelve months. Sustainability was the second priority but was mentioned by only 55% of respondents.
This continues a trend identified by Uber for Business through regular research. Over the past five years, businesses had reported a steadily growing focus on sustainability, to a point where the emphasis was placed almost equally on cost savings and sustainability. This year, however, the need for cost savings has surged in importance.
As travel budgets fall cost savings become top priority for business travel
The change coincides with a fall in travel budgets. Exactly half of respondents (50%) said they had seen travel budgets cut by at least 10% in 2025, while just 9% had seen an increase.
The research also showed that managers want more visibility of how their travel budget is being spent. Spend visibility ranks third in the priority list for next year – with 33% saying they will be focusing on this over the next 12 months. Ground transportation was highlighted as a particular problem area: 54% said that they found this type of spending difficult to track, and 59% said that the processing of expenses is a significant challenge.
Sustainability remains high on the priority list
Despite the emphasis on cost saving, sustainability has not been abandoned. More than half (54%) of travel managers said they were actively tracking their carbon emissions from ground transportation, while a further quarter (26%) said they would be interested in tracking this data if it is possible.
“As budgets have become tighter it’s not surprising that we’re seeing a renewed focus on cost saving and spend visibility,” commented Andrew Laughlan, head of enterprise UK at Uber for Business. “Companies need easy access to this data. To address this, we’ve ensured Uber for Business integrates with all the leading expense software vendors globally.”
“At the same time we mustn’t forget that more than half of travel managers still put sustainability down as a top priority. Corporate customers want to report regularly on emissions data and we now provide that as standard via the Uber for Business sustainability dashboard. If business travellers want to reduce their carbon footprint, it’s easy to select an Uber Electric when using the business ride booking app.”
About Uber for Business
Uber for Business brings the best of Uber to organisations around the globe with a seamless platform built to help them better support and engage those they employ and serve.
With global scale, integrated solutions and exceptional service, Uber for Business empowers organisations to streamline business travel, reimagine employee wellbeing, and elevate the customer experience – all while enabling employees to effortlessly leverage the Uber they love and trust in their professional lives.
Since launching in 2014, Uber for Business has scaled to 70+ countries and 10,000 cities and helped 200,000 organisations bring flexibility and efficiency into their operations.
For more, visit Uber for Business
Read PA Life’s exclusive interview with Andrew Laughlan head of enterprise UK at Uber for Business.
