Business Confidence 2026: Why Productive Executives Need Efficient Transportation

The outlook for 2026 is remarkably strong. Despite global economic headwinds, Australian CEOs are doubling down on growth, transformation, and productivity — and that means one thing: efficient, reliable executive transportation has never been more critical.

According to the latest EY-Parthenon CEO Outlook Survey of 1,200 global CEOs across 21 countries, nine in 10 CEOs expect revenue growth and increased profitability in 2026. This isn’t cautious optimism — it’s confident, proactive leadership in action. For leadership teams in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, this growth mindset requires a logistical backbone that only premium transport can provide.

The Productivity Imperative: Corporate Chauffeurs vs. Rideshare

CEOs aren’t just predicting growth — they’re actively engineering it. Forty-three percent cite optimizing operations and improving productivity as their top priority for the year ahead, with AI and digitalization leading the charge.

Here’s what this means for corporate travel: every minute counts.

When your CFO is racing between board meetings, investor presentations, and transformation workshops, the 90-minute airport transfer isn’t dead time — it’s premium productivity hours. When your leadership team is managing AI implementation, M&A negotiations, and talent retention simultaneously, the journey between office and client site becomes a mobile boardroom.

The ROI of a Mobile Office: Executive Transfers as a Workspace

The EY survey reveals that 2026 will be a tipping point for AI to move from pilot to enterprise scale, with 58% of CEOs expecting AI to be a major growth engine. These transformation initiatives require intense focus, coordination, and decision-making across distributed teams.

Consider this scenario: Your CEO has back-to-back meetings across Sydney — breakfast with venture capital partners in the CBD, mid-morning strategy session at the North Shore office, afternoon client presentation in Parramatta, evening networking dinner in the eastern suburbs.

Traditional transport options:

• Driving themselves: 3–4 hours behind the wheel = zero productive output, arrival stress
• Rideshare between locations: vehicle inconsistency, surge pricing uncertainty, no guaranteed availability
• Public transport: impractical for time-sensitive executive schedules

Professional chauffeur service advantage:

• 3–4 hours of uninterrupted work time in a Mercedes S-Class with WiFi and workspace
• Private environment for sensitive calls about M&A activity (79% of CEOs plan joint ventures in 2026)
• Professional presentation arriving at each destination
• Zero navigation stress or parking logistics

That’s not transportation — that’s executive productivity infrastructure.

Why 2026’s Business Confidence Demands Transportation Excellence

The EY survey reveals several trends that make secure executive transport more strategic than ever:

Secure Executive Transport for Confidential M&A Deals

53% of CEOs plan acquisitions aligned to growth agendas in the next 12 months — a 5% increase from Q3 2025. M&A deals mean:

• Confidential negotiations requiring privacy (not available in rideshare vehicles)
• Multi-city due diligence travel across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth
• Time-sensitive document review between meetings
• International client arrivals requiring professional airport transfer coordination

When your General Counsel is reviewing merger documents during the transfer from Sydney Airport to the CBD, that’s billable productivity. When your M&A team is conducting confidential calls during interstate travel, the privacy of a professional vehicle isn’t luxury — it’s operational security.

AI Transformation Requires Intensive Collaboration

With 52% of CEOs having already begun significant transformation initiatives and another 45% planning to start in 2026, leadership teams are spending unprecedented time in workshops, strategy sessions, and cross-functional collaboration.

This means:

• More frequent travel between office locations, innovation labs, client sites
• Teams traveling together requiring reliable multi-passenger capacity
• Need for productive travel time to prepare/debrief between intensive sessions
• Technology infrastructure (WiFi, charging, workspace) during transit

Cars on Demand’s approach: Our RideMinder technology ensures executives spend zero mental energy coordinating logistics, while our premium vehicles provide the workspace and connectivity required for transformation-focused travel across Sydney, Melbourne, and all major Australian cities.

Talent Competition Means Every Touchpoint Matters

79% of CEOs feel optimistic about attracting and retaining critical talent — but talent retention requires attention to executive experience. When you’re recruiting a senior data scientist from Melbourne or a transformation consultant from Singapore, their first impression of your organization often happens during airport pickup.

Sending a rideshare to collect a $500K executive hire sends a message. Sending a professional chauffeur with meet-and-greet service in a luxury sedan sends a different one.

The EY survey shows 69% of CEOs believe AI investments will maintain or increase headcount — meaning more executive recruitment, more talent relocation, more opportunity to demonstrate organizational values through premium service standards.

Operating Cost Pressures Demand Strategic Spending

While 61% of CEOs anticipate increases in operating costs, they’re responding by investing in productivity and efficiency. This is where professional executive transport demonstrates clear ROI:

Cost of Inconsistent Transportation:

• Executive time wasted on logistics, parking, navigation: $300–500/hour (opportunity cost)
• Missed meetings due to rideshare cancellations: immeasurable (relationship damage)
• Compromised confidentiality in shared/public transport: potential deal failure
• Arrival stress impacting meeting performance: reduced executive effectiveness

Value of Professional Service:

• Guaranteed availability via advance booking
• Fixed pricing (no surge uncertainty)
• Productive work time during all transfers
• Professional presentation at every arrival
• Flight tracking technology eliminating coordination overhead

For organizations serious about productivity optimization, executive transportation isn’t a discretionary expense — it’s productivity infrastructure with measurable returns.

The EA Perspective: Managing Executive Productivity in 2026

For Executive Assistants coordinating travel for growth-focused leadership teams, the EY survey data highlights why transportation reliability matters more than ever:

2026 Coordination Challenges:

• More complex schedules: CEOs balancing transformation initiatives, M&A activity, talent recruitment
• Tighter timelines: 40% of companies accelerating investments — faster decision cycles mean compressed meeting schedules
• Higher stakes: Revenue growth and profitability targets depend on executive effectiveness
• Multi-city coordination: Domestic and international travel requiring consistent service standards across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and beyond

The “No-Fail” Standard for C-Suite Itineraries

In a high-growth year, “sorry, I’m late” is not an acceptable excuse. Unlike rideshare apps that rely on “best effort” dispatching, Cars on Demand operates on a guaranteed connection model. When an EA books a corporate chauffeur transfer, that vehicle is reserved, prepped, and staged 15 minutes prior to the pickup time. This isn’t just a ride; it is risk mitigation for your executive’s calendar.

Cars on Demand’s EA-Focused Solutions:

1. Advance booking capability — Lock in vehicles weeks/months ahead for critical board meetings, investor presentations, transformation workshops
2. Repeat trip templates — One-click rebooking for regular executive routes (home to airport, office to client sites, CBD to regional offices)
3. Multi-city consistency — Same service standards across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Canberra, and Darwin
4. 24/7 Australian support — Real people at 1300 638 258 who can modify bookings immediately when transformation meetings run long or flight schedules change
5. Monthly consolidated invoicing — Finance-friendly reporting for budget-conscious 2026 planning

Real-World Productivity Scenarios for 2026

Scenario 1: The AI Transformation Workshop Circuit

Profile: CTO traveling between Sydney office, Melbourne innovation lab, and Brisbane client site for AI implementation workshops

Old approach: Drive to airport (45 min), park, fly, rideshare to destination, repeat = 6+ hours of non-productive transit time across the trip

Cars on Demand approach: Professional transfers each leg = 6 hours of workshop preparation, document review, team coordination during transit

Value creation: Pre-arrival prep means workshops start immediately, post-meeting debrief time maximizes team alignment, confidential client calls conducted privately en route

Scenario 2: The M&A Due Diligence Sprint

Profile: CFO and General Counsel conducting acquisition due diligence across target company’s Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth operations over 5 days

Transportation requirement:

• Confidential deal discussions during transit
• Document review between site visits
• Coordinated arrivals/departures for efficiency
• Professional presentation at each location

Cars on Demand solution: Dedicated chauffeurs in each city, advance scheduling, consistent luxury sedan experience, zero logistics overhead for the team

Outcome: Deal team maximizes productive hours, maintains confidentiality, arrives composed and prepared at each critical meeting

Scenario 3: The International Talent Recruitment

Profile: VP Engineering recruiting senior AI talent from Singapore, conducting interviews at Sydney office, dinner at harbourside restaurant, morning breakfast meeting before candidate’s return flight

First impression opportunity: Professional airport pickup with meet-and-greet, luxury sedan for all movements, seamless return airport transfer with flight tracking

Message communicated: Organization values executives, invests in quality, manages details professionally — exactly the culture top talent seeks in 2026’s competitive market

The Bottom Line: Business Confidence Requires Transportation Confidence

The EY survey makes clear: 2026 is a year of bold action, transformation acceleration, and productivity optimization. Australian CEOs aren’t waiting for certainty — they’re creating competitive advantage through decisive execution.

In this environment, executive transportation isn’t about luxury. It’s about:

• Maximizing productive hours when executives are pulled in multiple directions
• Ensuring confidentiality when M&A and strategic discussions happen constantly
• Professional presentation when talent competition and client relationships matter more than ever
• Eliminating logistics friction so leadership focuses on growth, not transportation coordination

When Every Minute Counts, Make Every Minute Productive

As Janet Truncale, EY Global Chair and CEO, notes: “Today’s most successful CEOs are confident in their ability to operate under uncertainty, acting boldly to embrace new technologies at speed and foster confident collaboration to gain competitive advantage.”

Operating under uncertainty means eliminating controllable variables. Transportation reliability is controllable. Executive productivity during transit is controllable. Professional presentation at arrivals is controllable.

Ready to align your executive transportation with 2026’s growth agenda?

Create your corporate account or contact our team at 1300 638 258 to discuss:

• Advance booking for critical 2026 board meetings and transformation workshops
• Multi-city coordination for M&A activity and interstate collaboration
• EA account setup with repeat trip templates and consolidated invoicing
• Priority service for high-frequency executive travel programs

For more information about our services, visit our about page or learn about our advanced booking technology.

Cars on Demand — Australia’s premium chauffeur service since 1990, serving over 5,000 Executive Assistants with 99.99% on-time reliability. When business confidence is high and productivity matters most, we ensure your executives maximize every minute.