Transportation to and from duty point
A receipt showing proof of payment is required to seek reimbursement for all forms of transportation. Transportation expenses must be itemized on the Travel Voucher form.
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.
Taxi, Bus or Limousine
Actual invoices are not required, but expenses must be itemized on the Travel Voucher form. When sharing a taxi or limousine, only the employee who paid for the service may be reimbursed.
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 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.
See State Comptroller’s Mileage Guide for the current mileage rate.
Traveling from Headquarters to Duty Point
It is TWU policy to use the State Comptroller’s Mileage Guide for all travel by personal vehicle. If locations are not available on the website, odometer readings are acceptable if a mileage log is included or referenced on the Travel Voucher that includes:
- Dates of travel
- Point to point location
Travel to and from Residence
Mileage may be calculated from employee’s residence if one of the following applies:
- Mileage from residence to airport if CHECK IN time is not during regular business hours
- Mileage from airport to residence if FLIGHT ARRIVAL time is not during regular business hours
- Mileage from duty point (outside headquarters) to residence if ARRIVAL TIME at residence is not regular business hours
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 the Current State Rate 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
This section is applicable for employees or prospective employees ONLY. Airline arrangements should be made through National Travel Systems to ensure that the most competitive fare is reserved. Arrangements can be made by emailing twutvl@nationaltravelsystems.com or by calling 1-800-814-3336 x209 to speak with one of our dedicated agents. For after hours or emergency service in the USA (between the hours of 5:30pm CST and 8:30am CST, weekends or holidays) please call 1-800-891-9002.
If employees book airline reservations using online systems such as Expedia and Travelocity rather than the airline’s websites, the following should be considered:
- All airlines may not be listed
- Receipts may be provided by the online booking source rather than the airline vendor, which may not meet reimbursement requirements.
- Transaction fees are incurred by the online booking source, which should be included when evaluating various booking methods for the lowest total cost.
- 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.
Contracted Airlines: Direct links to the state’s two contracted airline vendors are provided below. Comparing two or three airlines for the lowest available airline fares is recommended.
page last updated 10/9/2008 15:08