Global fleet solutions specialist The Miles Consultancy has created its own Development Hub Advisory Board (DHAB), paving the way for the launch of its Mobility iQ ‘super app’.

The Mobility IQ smart and sustainable super app will look to transform a highly fragmented and de-centralised mobility ecosystem through its intelligent and interactive approach

The board, comprising industry leaders and decision-makers across the fleet and travel sector, is focused on a mission to ‘invent the future of mobility together’. Ahead of the arrival of the app, the board members will meet regularly to discuss trends and topics, exchange ideas and define a common set of requirements to assist TMC in the development process.

The latest arrival to the TMC iQ line-up, the Mobility iQ smart and sustainable super app will look to transform a highly fragmented and de-centralised mobility ecosystem through its intelligent and interactive approach.

The app will create transparency and give users the ability to search, book and pay through a single app for mobility, while overseeing their footprint, based around the ‘4Cs’: Cost, Clock, Carbon and Calories.

The inaugural meeting of the DHAB saw members participate in a number of polls relating to travel and transport spend to gather further research as part of the Mobility iQ development process.

The results are rather interesting.

Asked about their daily priority within their role in the business, the majority (54%) said decarbonising fleets and travel policies, although reducing costs and increasing productivity received votes. Employee satisfaction and retention scored no votes.

TMC also asked members about their travel spend and over a third said that between 60-80% is booked via their corporate booking tool. Another third said between 80-90% whilst only 8% said 90% and above. And 23% confirmed that only 50% and less was via their corporate booking tool.

The same question was asked of their business’ ground transport. Two-thirds admitted that 30% or less is booked using their corporate booking tool. Some 17% voted for 30-50% of overall ground transport whilst another 17% said 60% and above. But without having most or all travel and transport spend go through a corporate booking tool for complete visibility, travel managers can’t be expected to better steer their fleet and travel decision-making.

Next, the board were asked if they had a minimum business mileage threshold for an employee to be eligible for a company car. In total, 57% said between 5,001 and 10,000 miles would be their minimum threshold, whilst the remainder of the group were split at 14% each evenly between 2,500 and 5,000, 10,001 and 15,000 and 15,000+ miles.

The final poll of the board meeting concerned the decision-maker when it comes to travel and, ultimately, who makes the call. Here, 83% said that it was the decision of the employee themselves when it comes to travelling from A to B either for their commute or business mileage. The remaining 17% said it was the decision of the line manager and there were no votes for the business.

The results showed that there is room for improvement within many fleets, with there being such low percentages of ground transport spend going through a corporate booking tool and low mileage thresholds for company car eligibility, not to mention the majority of travel decision making being made by the employee themselves. How can you expect to oversee reductions in carbon and cost without having the ability to control how employees move from A to B in the most suitable and efficient way?

Stuart Donnelly, who was appointed ‘president mobility’ at The Miles Consultancy this summer, said: “Even with such a high priority on reducing carbon, the biggest challenge facing travel managers with such low percentages of ground spend being bookable via the corporate booking tool, despite the rest of travel having high levels of compliance and the majority of employees deciding how they move from A to B, is that it’s near impossible to steer employees at point of search/sale to use preferred modes and suppliers for each journey they take.”

TMC added: “Fear not, because Mobility iQ will help you steer and reduce the cost and carbon footprint across your ground transportation program by facilitating smarter decision making with regards to travelling from A to B and sometimes C.”