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Car Rentals at Office Base Location


THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION APPLIES ONLY TO UMW EMPLOYEES OR STUDENTS TRYING TO DETERMINE WHETHER TO RENT A CAR OR USE A PERSONAL VEHICLE FOR TRAVEL BEGINNING AT THE TRAVELER’S BASE LOCATION.


“Office Base Location” or “Base Point” is defined as the office, place or building where the traveler performs his/her duties on a routine basis. For a complete understanding of these regulations, read the "Personal Vehicle Mileage Rates " webpage. If the traveler does not own or have access to a personal car, a car rental is allowed, HOWEVER, a traveler may NOT rent a car to travel to the airport and park it for the term of the trip. In this instance, the traveler must take a shuttle, rail, or some other form of public transportation and document the circumstances.

Reimbursement of car rental expenses is limited to official business use only and prudent judgment should be used when deciding whether or not to rent a car.

Effective October 1, 2006, car rentals initiated from the traveler’s base point must be obtained through Enterprise Car Rental when the base point is in Virginia, Maryland or D.C. When trying to determine whether to use a personal vehicle or rental car, the traveler must first determine the average DAILY mileage for the trip.


AVERAGE DAILY MILEAGE

Calculate the AVERAGE DAILY mileage of the trip by dividing the total roundtrip mileage by the total number of official business travel days. For example, on a five day business trip with a roundtrip mileage of 500 miles, 500 miles divided by 5 official business travel days equals 100 average daily miles.

If the AVERAGE DAILY mileage is 129 miles or less, a traveler may use a personal vehicle and be paid the higher mileage rate without any cost comparison. Read the "Personal Vehicle Mileage Rates " webpage for details.

If the AVERAGE DAILY mileage is 130 miles or more, go to the following website: www.dgs.virginia.gov/fleet.aspx. Select “Travel Planning and Enterprise Rental” from the right side menu. Follow the directions on the site and use the “Trip Calculator” to calculate the vehicle cost of the proposed trip.

  • If the trip calculator shows that the lowest cost transportation is the Enterprise vehicle, the traveler should:

    1. Print a copy of the Trip Calculator cost comparison and attach it to the Travel Reimbursement Request Form.

    2. Click on the “Go To Enterprise” link located on the Trip Calculator and reserve a rental car for the trip. Look under “U” for University of Mary Washington and follow the Enterprise instructions from that point.

  • If the trip calculator shows that the lowest cost transportation is the Personal vehicle, the traveler should print a copy of the Trip Calculator cost comparison and attach it to the Travel Reimbursement Request Form.

AVOID OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES

All vehicle reservations must be made at least 24 hours in advance of anticipated pick up of the vehicle. When traveling by air or rail, travelers should not use a rental car as a method of transportation to the airport or rail station. Instead, travelers should use their personal car or a form of public transportation to reach the airport or rail station.

In the event of emergency travel (less than 24 hours notice), the traveler is still required to go through the process above and attempt to acquire a vehicle through Enterprise Leasing.  If Enterprise Leasing cannot fulfill the request, the traveler must print the screen from Enterprise Leasing documenting that a vehicle was not available.  Call the Accounts Payable office at 654-1224 for further instructions.

You will NOT be reimbursed for the following:

1. Upgrades for any reason, even if you have a personal discount coupon. (See Question 5 of Mileage and Car Rental Questions for details.) Upgrades include, but are not limited to, upgraded car classes, navigation systems, and additional drivers.

2. Gas purchased at car rental agencies. Purchase gas at a gas station and submit the receipt for reimbursement. The receipt must show that gas was purchased.

3. Insurance in the United States. UMW will NOT pay for car rental insurance because UMW, through the Commonwealth, provides insurance for car rentals when the car is being used in the scope of official business travel and the car rental is to be used ONLY within the scope of official business travel. Note: The car insurance is not in effect when the rental car is used outside the scope of official business travel. Non-employees of the Commonwealth of Virginia (excluding students) can be reimbursed for car rental insurance. For example, candidates who need to rent a car may be reimbursed for LDW (Liability Damage Waiver) and CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) car rental insurance. UMW students are covered under the Commonwealth's insurance. Click here for Insurance Forms and PRINT the forms to carry with you in the rental car.

NOTE: For employees or students traveling outside of the territorial United States (including Canada and Puerto Rico), LDW (Liability Damage Waiver) and CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) insurance must be purchased and will be reimbursed.

4. Other types of insurance, such as trip cancellation, personal health or life insurance will NOT be reimbursed.

REQUIRED REIMBURSEMENT DOCUMENTATION

To be reimbursed, attach an original receipt (or a printed copy of a receipt for electronic purchases) to the Travel Expense Reimbursement form. Remember that you will not be reimbursed until AFTER the travel has occurred. (See Reimbursement Process for Travel Expenses.)

When paying for your rental through the Internet, read the Internet Purchases regulations regarding necessary documentation to ensure reimbursement.

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