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Study: Navigating Transport in Unfamiliar Places is Southeast Asia’s Biggest Business Travel Stressor, Fueling Unapproved Ground Trips and Expense Uncertainty 

ParDebbie Iannaci

Nine in 10 business travellers (93%) desire a single, unified platform to manage ground transportation and meal-related expenses across Southeast Asia

UN nouvelle étude by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and Grab For Business reveals that companies in Southeast Asia can significantly improve the business travel experience by aligning their business travel programmes with employees’ actual behaviours and reducing expense claims friction for them. 

Based on a survey of 1,200 business travellers across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, the studyfound ground transportation has emerged as a clear example of a travel policy gap:

– More than 8 in 10 (83%) respondents use ground-transport options outside company policy or approved vendors. 
– While 95% of business travellers use ride-hailing, only 58% say their companies formally manage it. 

As a result, companies often lose visibility and control over business travel costs, while employees experience stress and uncertainty about whether their ground transportation expenses will be approved. 

“Southeast Asia represents some of the world’s fastest-growing business travel markets, and this research shines a light on the critical programme gaps and real-world traveller needs shaping the region today—especially around safety, expense challenges, and technology expectations,” said Suzanne Neufang, CEO at GBTA.

“This research highlights a transformative opportunity for companies to improve their travel programmes,” said Valerie Khoo, Regional Head, Grab For Business. “Off-policy bookings are a signal of a larger issue: misalignment between approvals and real-world traveller needs. There are many enterprise-friendly technologies that can help to address these gaps, for example by streamlining ground transportation booking and expense processes with digital tools, companies can enhance efficiency, policy compliance, and traveller safety and wellbeing.”

Ground Transportation: A Critical Moment Fraught with Stress

Ground transportation is critical to the success of the business trip, as the respondents use them in high-stakes moments—nearly 78% rely on it for airport-to-hotel transfers, 71% use it to reach offices or client sites, and 70% use it for early morning trips to the airport. 

Yet it is also a top stressor during work trips with nearly one-third (32%) citing navigating transportation in unfamiliar places as the most stressful aspect of business trips; followed by keeping up with receipts and expenses (25%); and staying within company rules and policies (14%). 

Nearly half (44%) associate ground transportation during business trips with at least one negative emotion, including feeling rushed, stressed, or uncertain. 

– Common pain points around ground transportation include: lack of availability during early or late hours (54%); long
wait times for a car (53%); and unclear pricing (44%). 

The survey results point to the fact that there is room for companies to relieve employees’ concerns about logistical friction—including by putting in place clearer ground transportation policies that align with ground realities and seamless claims procedures—so that employees can focus on tasks that improve productivity and drive business outcomes. 

Safety Is a Top Decision-Driver for Business Travellers

The study also shows that safety is the most important factor for travellers when selecting methods of ground transportation, with 75% rating it as “extremely important.” 

– The most valued safety features include: professional or verified drivers and clear driver/vehicle information (both
57%); emergency support tools and live trip sharing (both 54%); and in-app tracking (53%). 

Companies, therefore, ought to keep these concerns in mind, when surfacing ground transportation options in their travel programme.  

Ride-Hailing Emerged As Top Option, But Is Under-integrated

Nearly all respondents (95%) say they make use of ride-hailing “at least sometimes,” while 88% say ride-hailing apps are their usual method of choice for booking business trip ground transportation.

– Business travellers cite convenience (55%); availability and safety and reliability (both 45%); and ease of use in
unfamiliar places and price transparency (both 42%), as reasons they prefer to use ride-hailing on work trips.

Yet despite its prevalence, ride hailing is often not formally integrated into corporate travel programmes. Based on the findings, companies should consider formally integrating trusted ride-hailing platforms, which allow them to regain control over spending, ensure safety standards, and provide a tool their teams already use and prefer.

Business Travellers’ Desire for A Unified Platform

The administrative burden of travel is also significant. Nearly half of travellers (46%) spend more than 20 minutes submitting expenses per trip, while 57% delay the expense submission process or describe it as a chore, which signals room for enhancing travel claims efficiency. 

In terms of meal preferences during business travel, a significant number of travellers say they prioritise saving time (75%) over staying within budget (25%).

Overall, 93% of respondents find the idea of a single platform for managing ground transportation and meal-related expenses across Southeast Asia appealing, pointing to a broader desire to reduce fragmentation.

What Companies Can Do In Support Of Business Travel 

Business travellers value the benefits provided by ride-hailing partnerships, which include: automatic expense integrations (89% find “very” or “extremely valuable”); one place where they can see all of their ground and meal spending (89%); pre-set policy controls (87%); and centralised payment (86%) in their company’s travel programme. 

Such improvements have the potential to make a difference to employees’ business travel experience—and may, in turn, improve company productivity and employees’ safety, efficiency and well-being.

For more information and to download the full study, visit https://gbta.org/apac-business-traveler-experience-2026/

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Editor’s Notes:
The study surveyed business travellers from medium-to-large organisations (minimum 250 employees) across six Southeast Asian markets for a total sample of 1,200 respondents. The survey was fielded from April 4 – 15, 2026. All participants had taken at least one business trip with an overnight stay in the past 12 months that included ground transportation usage.

À propos de GBTA | The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade organization serving stakeholders across six continents. GBTA and its 9,000+ members represent and advocate for the $1.57 trillion global business travel and meetings industry. GBTA and the GBTA Foundation deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy, and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. For more information, visit GBTA.org. and GBTAFoundation.org. 

About Grab for Business | Grab For Business is a platform that helps companies across Southeast Asia simplify how they manage corporate transport, employee meals, and more—powered by Grab’s trusted platform. With a unified B2B portal, admins can set budgets, track spending, and automate admin tasks, while employees enjoy a seamless booking experience through the Grab app they already use. By streamlining everyday operations, Grab for Business free teams to focus on what really matters: driving business forward. To get started, visit forbusiness.grab.com.