TRANSPORTATION TO/FROM DUTY POINT
Rental Cars
University employees are required to use State Contracted Rental Cars to ensure the lowest rates. Rental car arrangements should be made directly by the employee to ensure state rates and establish payment method. If employees do not use a contracted rental car agency, they must complete a Contract Travel Vendor Exception form. If the reason for not using a contracted rental car is not recognized on the form, the reimbursement may be limited to the median rate that would have been given if the employee had used a contracted rental car. The employee must pay for rental cars; generally, direct billing is not available. The only exception for direct billing is when the employee is a prospective employee.
Taxi, Bus or Limousine
Actual invoices are not required, but expenses must be itemized in “Section Y” of the Travel Voucher form. When sharing a taxi or limousine, only the employee who paid for the service may be reimbursed. Reimbursement may be allowed for limousine only if it was the least costly transportation available considering all relevant circumstances. This applies when a state employee uses a bus, subway, other mode of mass transit, taxi or limousine to obtain a meal.
A receipt showing proof of payment is required to seek reimbursement for all other forms of transportation not itemized above.
All transportation expenses must be itemized in “Section Y” of the Travel Voucher form.
Travel by Personal Vehicle
An employee traveling by personal vehicle must carry insurance as required by the State of Texas. An employee traveling in any non-University vehicle (i.e. personal vehicle, rental) does so at his/her own risk. TWU accepts no responsibility for vehicle or other damage, personal injury, claims filing, vehicle repair, maintenance, insurance costs, towing or citations.
With the exception of tolls and parking expenses, mileage reimbursement is inclusive of all expenses associated with the operation of a personally owned vehicle. Separate claims for fuel are not reimbursable. Mileage reimbursement is 44.5 cents per mile.
Traveling from Headquarter to Duty Point
It is TWU policy to use the State Comptroller’s Mileage Guide for all travel by personal vehicle. The following points may be helpful when using the mileage guide:
|
Headquarters |
Airports |
|
TWU Denton |
DFW - Dallas/Ft Worth Airport |
|
TWU Parkland |
DAL - Love field |
|
TWU Presby |
HOU - Hobby |
|
TWU Houston |
IHA - International Houston Airport |
If locations are not available on the website, odometer readings are acceptable if a mileage log is included or referenced on “Section Y” of the Travel Voucher that includes:
Travel to and from Residence
Mileage may be calculated from employee’s residence if one of the following applies:
Out-of-state Travel
When a personal vehicle is used for out-of-state travel, the employee must claim reimbursement based on the lesser of:
Reasonable expense of travel from headquarters to the nearest commercial airport plus round-trip contract airfare from the nearest airport to the out-of-state destination and reasonable parking expenses. This may include what the taxi or limousine fares would have been from the point of destination to the employee’s lodging and return had the employee traveled by plane
or
The actual out-of-state mileage at 44.5 cents per mile
Employees Traveling Together
When several employees are traveling on the same date to the same place by personal vehicle, they are expected to share transportation (four (4) persons to a car). Each passenger may submit a Travel Voucher to claim meals/lodging and should give the name of the person who furnished transportation. The owner of the vehicle may claim mileage in addition to meals/lodging. Exceptions must be approved by the Chancellor or a Vice President.
Traveling by air
Airline arrangements should be made through National Travel Systems to ensure that the most competitive fare is reserved. Arrangements can be made by emailing aworldoftravel@takeavacation.com or calling 1.877.526.6395 or 1.800.891.9002 24-hrs.
When using the Contracted Travel agency a requisition must be created. National Travel Systems will require a requisition number to book the flight. A confirmation itinerary will be emailed to the traveler. Requisitions are only required for employees using the travel agency.
Online Sources: If employees book airline reservations using online systems such as Expedia and Travelocity rather than the airline’s websites, the following should be considered:
1. All airlines may not be listed
2. Receipts may be provided by the online booking source rather than the airline vendor, which may not meet reimbursement requirements.
3. Transaction fees are incurred by the online booking source, which should be included when evaluating various booking methods for the lowest total cost.
4. Oftentimes, direct booking with an air carrier’s web portal such as, SWABIZ.com or AA.com, provides a lower total cost than sites with multiple carriers’ inventories.
Caution: Any restricted fares may have non-reimbursable penalties associated with reservation changes or cancellations.
Most Utilized Airlines: Direct links to the state’s most commonly utilized airline vendors are provided below for your use. Comparing two or three airlines for the lowest available airline fares is recommended.