A survey of 1,000 UK employees has revealed that 31% of workers cheat their employer out of money by either adding extra to their taxi bills or claiming for taxi journeys that are not business related.
The study carried out by Expense Management Company Spendvision, focused on employees who regularly use taxis for work-related travel and discovered that 23% of staff will routinely ask taxi drivers for a blank receipt so they can add extra money to their receipts before submitting their expenses claim.
One in ten admits going a step further and filling in claims for personal taxi journeys, the survey found.
Shane Bruhns, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Spendvision, said:
“Most UK employees are fundamentally honest, but the fact remains that taxi fares remain an easy target for the minority of employees who are open to temptation.
“A few pounds here or there might not seem like much to an individual, but if almost a third of your workforce is routinely adding £15-£20 a month to their expenses, the amount companies are losing quickly stacks up.”
According to the survey, 57% of employees said they frequently paid for taxis with cash, while 27% said they try to pay with card the majority of the time.
Bruhns added:
“The cash-based nature of taxi travel is clearly a weak link, leaving employers no choice but to put their faith in the honesty of their employees.
“From our research we found employees who regularly pay for taxi fares by card are half as likely to submit a false claim as those who pay with cash.”
