Johannesburg – Not only celebrities are driven off the runway and are quickly pursued through immigrants. With the growing number of South African business travelers, rather than luxury, structured corporate mobility calls for VIP treatment when landing to remove uncertainty from the journey. Do you need an armored vehicle? Can be placed.
Lewis Mujaji, operation and product manager of Peaks of Africa Holidays & Conventions at Africa Holidays & Conventions, a corporate ground mobility expert, says these are just a few of the professional services that corporate travelers are increasingly demanding.
“Where we go, business travelers want to have a car and a driver on arrival, and that's not possible to negotiate.”
He points out that at high-risk destinations, businesses are taking this further by booking additional layers of security support. “In places like Abuja and Lagos, clients can request fast truck immigration services and airside assistance, meaning they don't have to go through common airport traffic, meaning they can meet at the plane door,” he says.
For multinational companies operating across Africa, risk reduction is not the only transportation policy that allows “perks.” They are becoming the standard practice for business trips at all levels, Mujaji says.
“We see structured airport transfers being used, not just high-level executives,” adds Lewis. “Currently, businesses see this as part of a seamless travel plan. Traveling is even more stressful while ensuring that employees arrive safely at all times.”
Not all travelers need armored vehicles or airside assistance. Still, FCTG's Supplier Partnership Executive Director, Lebogang Ntoagae, believes that every company should be more serious about how employees move their locations safely and efficiently.
“In daily corporate travel, ground transport often remains the weakest link,” she says. “Flights are booked in advance. The hotel is carefully selected, but you need to suddenly understand how employees are landing and suddenly getting to A to B on their own.”
Many companies still have an attitude that appears. And it puts their travelers at risk, she says. A study by the CMAC group found that one in five business travelers felt vulnerable when traveling by taxi. Both the men and women surveyed had negative experiences, including road rage, driver fatigue, and other inability to reach their final destination.
Ntoagae highlights early morning picks where streets are abandoned or arrive late at night when tired travelers suffer from language barriers as moments when things go wrong when no structured transport plans exist.
“We want business travelers to get off the plane with everything they already placed in. They are professional drivers waiting for them who know exactly where they need to go,” she explains. “There's no delays or confusion. Just a smooth transition.”
Transportation isn't just about logistics — it's personal, she says. Two travelers do not have the same needs or concerns when traveling through unfamiliar cities.
Ntoagae believes that structured travel programs must provide flexibility according to individual security preferences. Some travelers want real-time tracking, so teams can always know exactly where they are. Others prioritize having a reliable driver who won't cancel at the last minute or get stuck outside the airport at night.
“Just like businesses distinguish flight class and hotel preferences based on seniority and security requirements, they also need to offer personalized mobility options,” says Ntoagae. She added that this is mission critical in South Africa as travelers do not have a safe train transport option.
For businesses that mean building pre-located airport movements directly into policies, employees should not waste their time after long-distance flights or, worse, relying on unsolvented local taxis that could put them at risk.
There is a solution for any travelling potential. From multilingual drivers that can help you when traveling in foreign cities, to women-led driver services explicitly designed for women traveling alone. I also look at many of the frequent flyers beyond the ride app. This is unpredictable.
Services like Avis P2P offer reliable alternatives by providing pre-scheduled pickups to trained drivers who are familiar with the regular routes. For those managing multiple meetings in different locations each day, having dedicated vehicles accessible will eliminate unnecessary delays while ensuring consistency throughout each trip.
“Many clients are grateful to know that drivers are actually coming in. And the fact that they don't leave scrambling outside the airport is trying to find another option at the last minute,” adds Ntoagae. ”
“It gives people they trust a choice,” says Ntoagae. “If companies don't review them first and let their employees book a random hotel, why would they leave transport as important as open-ended? The moment someone left the house, their journey began.
More businesses realize that modern travel policies don't just determine spending restrictions. They should actively protect people by ensuring that every stage of the trip is explained before departure, says Corporate Traveller's Rategang Moroke Operations Manager.
She is encouraged by this shift. “Transportation has become one of those areas where advanced companies don't wait until something goes wrong before something changes,” she says. “They are now taking action to not only improve safety but also increase productivity,” she concludes.
