Ground transportation can seem like the forgotten element of travel. While hotel check-in, airline retailing and activity planning are overhauled with new technology, one of the most crucial steps in the journey is often neglected. Working to address the oversight is Craig Chambers, chief executive of TBR Global, a “world-leader in premium ground transportation”. Based in Glasgow, Scotland, the chauffeuring company is “working to reduce complexity and create simplicity” in every journey.

As Chambers tells Breaking Travel News during a one-to-one interview: “Our proposition is centred on technology, we have developed a proprietary system which we continue to update, with more than 120 improvements made over the past 12 months.

“This is coupled with our people, who are very much experts in this field. Within the corporate travel space many bookings remain offline and these interactions between our teams and customers are a point of value.”

He adds: “We are trusted by FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies to deliver on our services.”

What exactly are those services? Well, TBR Global might just be the company that gets some of the most fashionable and important guests to the biggest events in the world.

“We have a big presence in the events space,” says Chambers, “working with many of the major showcases around the world. For example, we work with the World Economic Forum in Davos each year, and have clients attending the Super Bowl in the United States. Regardless of the scale of the event, or where it takes place, TBR Global can very much plug in and deliver the best service.”

Elsewhere, TBR Global operates in the less glamorous, but no less important, investment roadshow space, working with banks to take clients to a series of meetings around financial capitals. Finally, the company operates in the corporate sector, which often involves senior executives who might be travelling from the office to the hotel, home or on to the airport.

Today, TBR Global operates in 120 countries worldwide, with offices in seven key locations around the globe.

“Our work is concentrated in the main corporate financial hubs, with growth expected in these areas,” says Chambers. “Specifically, the United States is the largest growth opportunity for TBR Global. We are established there, but the size of the market, the opportunity there, means we believe we can achieve significant growth over the next 6-12 months.”

But what separates the company from its numerous competitors?

“When it comes to our differentiators around the large-scale events, we have built up a lot of experience over the years. These are partnerships from very early on in the planning stage,” says Chambers. “For example, with the FIFA World Cup next year in the United States, we are already working with our clients there to prepare. We are carrying out site visits, looking at the locations and venues to understand what will be needed, and then working with local partners to deliver that.”

He adds: “As we get closer to the event, the interaction develops further; in terms of training drivers on the various routes, getting our teams on site to work in the same office as our partners. This is a joined-up, collaborative approach to ensure success. These are complex events, a lot of stakeholders involved, and we work hand-in-hand to deliver success.”

Perhaps slightly incongruously for a chauffeuring company, however, TBR Global does not employ any drivers. “TBR Global operates as a ‘managed marketplace’ – we have partners across the globe to deliver our services,” adds Chambers. “Our role is our technology, our people, and we can ramp up to meet demand as needed.”

With its in-vehicle televisions and cap-wearing drivers, TBR Global is focused on the top end of both the business and leisure travel spaces – and works to stand out.

Chambers adds: “While there are a number of players, we are able to differentiate clearly. The quality of the driver, for example, the training they have, and how they deal with the passenger – our chauffeurs act as a concierge for our passengers. There is also a focus on security, with our drivers being aware of where embassies are, hospitals and the different routes which are available. Booking a private car is one of the safest ways to travel when compared to other ground transportation. We can use codes or pseudonyms, allowing those very senior people to keep identities hidden when arriving at the airport, and we can keep addresses private, available only to the driver, rather than our wider team.”

Panning back to the wider transport landscape, Chambers argues there will always be a role for a driver in the chauffeuring market, even if they are not in control of the vehicle.

“Autonomous vehicles are an interesting area, and we are seeing trials take place, especially in the United States,” he says, “for the wider ground transportation industry, anything innovative like this, something which improves the customer experience, is a positive.

“In the space TBR Global operates in, we may well have driverless cars, but that does not mean we will have a car without a driver. We will have an individual there to provide that concierge service; an individual to carry the luggage, provide flexibility.”

The shift away from sustainability in travel may also not be quite as pronounced as feared, the TBR chief argues, even as headlines from the United States suggest otherwise. “We have not seen a change, or a reduction in demand for sustainable solutions,” says Chambers. “The latest PwC State of Decarbonisation report finds 16 per cent of businesses are scaling back climate ambitions, but 37 per cent have strengthened ambitions in this area.

“This is a topic that remains high on the agenda for travel managers and TBR Global remains committed being carbon neutral by 2030 and net zero by 2045. Practically, this means increasing the use of electric vehicles within our fleet, as well as internal changes to the way we operate.”

On a personal note, Chambers says he never expected a career in travel, but has seen his career blossom over the past two decades.

“I joined TBR Global as a graduate 20 years ago – and I’m still here. I worked up through the sales team, then led the business in Europe, before taking over as chief executive of the group for the past nine years. I have loved the journey as the company has expanded, up from ten team members when I joined, to now having over 130 colleagues around the world. We have expanded geographically, but also developed different service lines.

“This is a great industry to be in, very dynamic; travel remains at the forefront of innovation. We are never standing still,” he concludes.

More Information

TBR Global Chauffeuring is a ground transportation provider, driving excellence across the financial roadshow, global events and corporate travel market.

More on the official website.