As travel scales, control slips
Ground transport is no longer a detail - it’s a growing risk.
As organisations expand internationally, domestic travel programmes are struggling to keep up. What works at home quickly breaks down abroad, creating gaps in visibility, compliance, cost control, and duty of care.
Our latest research with 500 Travel Managers reveals just how quickly those gaps are growing.
The key challenge: global scale, local fragmentation
International travel now makes up 42% of all business journeys - but most ground transport programmes weren’t built for it.
Once travel crosses borders:
- Suppliers become inconsistent
- Pricing becomes unpredictable
- Booking systems stop working seamlessly
- Travellers find their own alternatives – outside of policy
- Safety and duty of care often become compromised
The result? A loss of control at exactly the point programmes need it most.
What’s breaking for travel managers?
Challenges driving this shift include a lack of visibility and ensuring traveller safety.
Our whitepaper details the issues travel managers face and how far-reaching the problems are.
This isn’t policy failure - it’s a systems problem.
When managed options aren’t easy or available, travellers go elsewhere.
Why it matters
Fragmented ground transport creates more than inconvenience:
- Slower response during disruption
- Reduced visibility of traveller location
- Untracked spend and poor reporting
- Increased safety risk in high-pressure situations
In short, the more global your programme becomes, the more exposed it is.
A clear shift is happening
Travel managers already know what’s needed:
- 70% want suppliers brought into one central platform
- 76% value simplified booking with 24/7 support
The goal isn’t more choice - it’s connected, managed systems that work globally.
Ashley Seed, CCO at CMAC Group, says: “As business travel continues to grow, organisations are realising that domestic ground transport programmes aren’t fit for international purpose. Fragmented booking methods and inconsistent supplier standards are creating safety and compliance headaches for businesses operating internationally.”
“Travel managers are telling us they want a simpler, more connected approach internationally. 70% want their existing suppliers coordinated through a single central platform and 76% believe simplified international booking with 24/7 support is highly valuable.”
This is Part 1 of our whitepaper series:
Out of Control: Why Ground Transport Breaks at International Scale
Download the full report to explore the data and insights in detail.
Coming in June 2026:
Part 2: When Programmes Can’t Scale, Travellers Take Control
Discover how off-platform behaviour grows - and why it’s so hard to reverse.
Stay tuned for Part 2 and join the organisations rethinking how global travel actually works.