Why the NFL travels with Uber for Business

For the NFL (National Football League), business travel is a complex and always-on operation. Each year, it issues over 25,000 airline tickets for 2,000 employee travelers and many external vendors who work with the organization. “Our goal is to ensure that we have a robust travel program that meets the needs of our travelers while also providing data and analytics, so we can better analyze our spend and make meaningful decisions,” says Ndue Palushi, the NFL’s Manager of Administration and a co-lead of the Travel and Expense program.

The NFL’s T&E program faces challenges—in addition to scale—such as enforcing compliance amid complex policies and having enough travel vendors in all markets where major events, like the Super Bowl, happen.

Giving the power of data to travel administrators

With many travelers across a multitude of locations, the NFL sought a tool that could help them better understand ground-transporation trends and spending. Now, Uber for Business has become an integral part of its overall travel program.

The Uber for Business platform has helped the NFL’s travel admins achieve new insight into usage and spending. Says Palushi: “Uber for Business makes it easy for us to run reports on employee activity. We review the automated monthly statements we receive and how the spend is broken down monthly in the dashboard. From time to time, we run ad hoc reports to analyze fiscal spend to date or identify top travelers.”

Providing a magical experience for travelers

Uber for Business has also helped employees, specifically in the realm of expense reports. Previously, travelers who took rides with Uber while on the road for work had to manually upload each receipt. Now automated expensing helps to save time and reduces the risk of human error. “The e-receipt forwarding with SAP Concur has been tremendously helpful,” Palushi says.

NFL travelers also leverage other features of the Uber platform, such as scheduling rides with Uber Reserve. Feedback about Uber for Business has been so positive that more than half of the NFL’s workforce has opted in. Plus, employees can easily create custom voucher programs for external individuals who need rides but aren’t connected to the company’s business account.

Looking ahead for program growth

Beyond the technology benefits, Palushi acknowledges the constant support he and his travel colleagues get from the Uber for Business team. He says they’ve been extremely responsive to issues or questions, as well as helping to increase adoption of the platform.

As the success of the initial program is cemented, the NFL looks to encourage the current upward trend of employee Uber for Business use. One way it’s doing this is by considering the addition of meal programs, meaning travelers could order through Uber Eats while on the road.

Says Palushi: “We look forward to continuing this partnership with Uber in the years to come.”