After ranking as Certify's most-expensed brand for North American businesses in 2018, Uber maintained the top spot during the first quarter of 2019, according to the expense management provider's latest SpendSmart report.
Uber transactions comprised 11 percent of all expenses reported to Certify last year, and that share ticked up to 12 percent of Certify's 10 million receipts during the first quarter of 2019.
Uber, which is preparing an IPO, was responsible for 73 percent of all ridehailing receipts in the first quarter. Competitor Lyft, which recently went public, remained a distant second with 22 percent, but that represented a nearly 4 percentage-point year-over-year increase. Taxis accounted for the remaining 5-plus percent of first-quarter 2019 ridehailing transactions.
Uber was also the least expensive ridehailing option for business travelers in the first quarter. An average Uber trip was $25.19, compared with $25.32 for Lyft and $33.53 for taxis. Lyft's average cost rose nearly $6 year over year, while the average Uber and taxi prices have remained essentially flat, Certify found.
Starbucks was the most expensed food option in the first quarter of 2019, representing 5 percent of transactions in the category, while the Marriott Hotels brand edged out Hampton Inn as the most expensed lodging provider; both brands hovered around 9 percent of lodging receipts.
Delta was the most expensed airline in the first quarter, comprising 19 percent of all air transactions, compared with 17 percent for American Airlines.
RELATED: Certify 2018 SpendSmart report