Transportation Expenses
Air Travel
Air travel is expected to be the least costly consistent with the itinerary and with a reasonable level of comfort and convenience for the traveler. Standard accommodations should be used except under exceptional circumstances. The college pays for business related travel and assumes the risk for business related changes, thus no travel insurance should be purchased. Planned travel that includes personal stops must include comparison rates obtained at the time travel is booked. Purchased airline tickets may be reimbursed before the travel takes place; see Travel Advances.
Private Vehicles
The IRS mileage reimbursement rate will be paid for the use of a privately owned (not rented or leased) vehicle used for College business. The IRS mileage reimbursement rate includes reimbursement for gasoline and use of the private vehicle and assumes that an adequate level of insurance is maintained by the vehicle owner. Additional reimbursement will be made for tolls and parking fees; however, the College will not reimburse employees for parking tickets, fines for moving or toll violations, loss due to theft, or for vehicle towing charges.
Mileage reimbursement should be substantiated by a mileage calculator such as Mapquest.com. Since the IRS does not allow reimbursement for commuting expenses, business travel originates from the shorter distance of the College campus or the traveler’s home, to the business destination and vice versa.
It is the obligation of the owner of a private vehicle being used for College business to carry adequate insurance for his or her protection and for the protection of any passengers. When privately owned vehicles are used in the course of conducting the College’s business, the owner’s insurance coverage for liability, collision and comprehensive claims will be “primary” with the College’s insurance coverage providing protection over and above the limits of liability insurance held by the owner on their own vehicle. Insurance deductibles are the responsibility of the private vehicle owner.
Mileage reimbursement rates for privately owned vehicles used for College travel within the dates below will be paid as follows:
- January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024 67 cents per mile
- July 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023 65.5 cents per mile
Rented & Leased Vehicles
Vehicles should be rented from a commercial rental company when doing so would prove least costly to the College and/or in order to avoid the insurance obligations of using a private vehicle for College business. Rented or leased vehicles are not eligible for the Private Vehicle Mileage Reimbursement; however, reimbursement will be made for gasoline, tolls and parking fees. The College will not reimburse employees for parking tickets, fines for moving or toll violations, loss due to theft, or for vehicle towing charges.
When renting a vehicle within the United States, travelers should decline insurance coverage for Damage Waiver (DW), Personal Accident Insurance (PAI), and Supplemental Liability Protection (SLP), from the rental car agency. If a vehicle is being rented overseas for business use, compulsory local coverage and physical damage must be purchased. Vehicles rented for College business must be rented in the employee’s name with the College’s name and address included on the form in order to have protection under College insurance.
Travelers involved in an accident in a rental car while on College business should immediately notify the law enforcement authority within the jurisdiction where the accident occurred and the Director of Campus Safety at Bates College (207-786-6254). The rental car company should be notified in accordance with the rental car company’s requirements.
Bates Motor Vehicle Policy
The operation of rented, leased or privately owned vehicles for College business falls within the Bates College Motor Vehicle Policy and the Driver Training Program & Policy.