Table of Contents
Content Information
- Use of personal vehicle. Authorized use of a personal vehicle will be subject to the rules of DAS Central Procurement & Fleet Services Enterprise (CPFSE). See Procedure 210.130.
- If an individual desires to use his/her personal vehicle instead of a common carrier and it is authorized by the Department Head or the designated representative, he/she will be allowed the cost of mileage not to exceed the cost of coach airfare, to the air terminal nearest their destination, plus expenses incurred to final destination and subsistence allowance en route. Out-of-state subsistence allowance will be allowed only for the number of meals and nightly lodging which would have been necessarily had the individual used the available common carrier to the destination instead of his/her personal vehicle. Taxi or mileage expenses will be allowed at the destination if incurred while on official business. See Procedure 210.140 for limitations. A cost comparison must be included with the Travel Payment (TP) document.
- If two or more individuals on official business travel in one personal vehicle instead of by common carrier, the use of one vehicle may be authorized on a mileage basis not to exceed the statutory limit per mile. The passenger shall denote this on his/her TP. See Procedure 280.201.
- State Owned Vehicles. See Procedures 210.130 and 210.131.
- Rental or charter of special conveyances. The rental or charter of aircraft, automobiles, boats, buses, or other special conveyances shall be held to a minimum but may be authorized in those cases when no public or ordinary means of transportation is available or when such public or ordinary means of transportation cannot be used advantageously in the best interest of the State. Specific justification shall accompany the voucher in each instance where the use of special conveyance is authorized and shall include such information as the location where special conveyance commenced and the points visited. DAS-SAE requires a comparison of costs between public or ordinary means of transportation compared to the cost of special conveyance.
Airline travel accommodations. When the Department Head or the designated representative determines airline travel is the most economical or advantageous to the state, use of airline travel may be authorized.
- The most economical mode of airline travel is considered to be coach or economy class, if available. If coach class is not available, it should be noted on the TP submitted for reimbursement of the expense. See Procedure 210.325 for more information on requirements for reimbursement of airline tickets.
- A cost comparison between flying and driving must be included on the TP when the ordinary means of transportation is not utilized.
EXAMPLE: An individual drives to Los Angeles, CA instead of flying. In this instance, since the ordinary means of transportation is flying, a cost comparison between flying and driving is necessary.
Cost Comparison Tip: If the airfare, divided by the number of miles, is less than the allowable reimbursable mileage rate per mile, it is more economical to fly.
Cost comparison for driving a personal vehicle vs. airfare:
- Cost of airfare, including the baggage fee.
- Shuttle/taxi to and from airport and hotel.
- Cost of mileage.
- Additional days for lodging above the day before and the day after the conference/meeting allowed in Procedure 210.305.
- Additional meals incurred above the day before and the day after the conference/meeting allowed in Procedure 210.305.
- Cost of parking and any toll charges.
Compensation during additional travel time.
Cost comparison for driving a state-owned vehicle vs. airfare:
- Cost of airfare, including the checked baggage fee.
- Shuttle/taxi to and from the airport and hotel.
- Cost of mileage.
- Additional cost of any additional days for lodging above the day before and the day after the conference/meeting allowed in Procedure 210.305.
- Additional meals incurred above the day before and the day after the conference/meeting allowed in Procedure 210.305.
- Cost of parking and any toll charges.
Compensation during additional travel time.
- Train travel. In cases where train travel is utilized, the most economical mode shall be considered coach fare, if available.
- Purchase of tickets. Departments shall develop internal policies to purchase or direct their travelers to purchase tickets from a source determined by the individual’s state department to be the best value. Department appointed travel coordinators will set procedures to make reservations within their department. Airline tickets booked on behalf of an individual must follow airline regulations. See Procedure 210.325 regarding payment policies for tickets.