Common use of Transportation Modes Clause in Contracts

Transportation Modes. ‌ The general rule for selection of a mode of transportation is that mode which represents the lowest expense to the County. Where an employee is given the choice between several means of travel (e.g. use of County vehicle vs. own personal vehicle, flying vs. driving, etc.) and the employee chooses the option that is more costly, the employee shall only be reimbursed for the lesser cost option. For example, if an employee chooses to drive his/her own vehicle when offered a County vehicle, the employee shall not be entitled to any reimbursement. Similarly, if the cost of flying on an airplane is less than the cost of driving, the employee shall only be reimbursed for the amount the County would have paid for the flight. (1) Reimbursement for the use of privately owned automobiles to conduct County business shall be at the IRS allowable rate. Reimbursement at this rate shall be considered as full and complete payment for actual necessary expenses for the use of the private automobile, insurance, maintenance, and all other transportation-related costs. The County does not provide any insurance for private automobiles used on County business. The owner of an automobile is responsible for the personal liability and property damage insurance when the vehicle is used on County business. (2) When employees traveling on official County business, leave directly from their principal place of residence rather than from their assigned work location, mileage allowed to the first work contact point shall be the difference between the distance from the residence to the assigned work location and the distance from the residence to the first work contact point. For example, an employee who lives in Upland is stationed at an Ontario work location with a regular start time of 8:00 a.m. On a particular day the employee is assigned to work at an event in Redlands with a start time of 8:00 a.m. On the day the employee is assigned to the Redlands event, if the employee leaves directly from her Upland residence rather than her Ontario work location, the mileage allowed to the Redlands event shall be the difference between the distance from her Upland residence to the Ontario work location and the distance from her Upland residence to the Redlands event. If the first work contact point is closer than the assigned work location, no mileage shall be allowed. If the employee departs from the last work contact point directly to the residence, the same principle governs. Employees may have multiple assigned work locations in a particular work day. When employees have more than one assigned work location in a work day, mileage shall be allowed between assigned work locations. Employees may have multiple regularly assigned work locations during a pay period. Mileage allowed is based on the assigned work location for that day. For example, an employee who is regularly assigned to one work location on Mondays and Wednesdays, and separate work location on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, would not be eligible for mileage reimbursement to their regularly assigned work location for those days. In no case will mileage be allowed between the employee’s residence and the assigned work location. Reimbursement will be provided for the cost of a rental vehicle for business purposes if such use is approved by the appointing authority. Rental vehicles are covered for liability and vehicle physical damage under the County’s self- insurance program. Reimbursement will not be provided for the additional costs incurred if any employee purchases additional insurance or signs a Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) when renting a vehicle for County business. Requests for reimbursement for gasoline for rental vehicles must be accompanied by a copy of the rental agreement or rental receipt and gasoline receipt. Reimbursement will be provided for the cost of using a ride-share service (e.g., Uber or Lyft), taxi, or public/mass transit (e.g., bus, streetcar, and ferry) if such expenses are incurred for County business and approved by appointed authority. When commercial aircraft transportation is approved, the “cost of public carrier” shall mean the cost of air coach class rate including tax and security surcharges. Reimbursement will be provided for the cost of incidental travel expenses such as bridge tolls, road tolls, and parking fees if such expenses are incurred as part of County business and approved by the appointing authority. Valet parking will not be reimbursed unless self-parking is not available or security is a concern.