Transportation

When choosing the method of transportation, several factors should be considered, such as distance traveled, travel time, number of travelers, number of locations to be visited, and what type of transportation may be available. NYS contracts should be used whenever possible. If a more expensive method is used, obtaining approval from the Finance & Administration Office is required and justification should be submitted with your expense report.

Fleet Vehicle

The college maintains a fleet of State-owned (college-owned) passenger cars and vans for official business travel. Whenever practicable, State-owned vehicles are to be used, based upon economy, availability, and requirements. A State vehicle must be requested for all travel at least ten days prior to the travel date, if the traveler would attempt to seek mileage reimbursement. Vehicle Requests are completed using the Event Management System (EMS) with confirmations/denials being sent via email to the traveler.

• All procedures for using a State-owned vehicle must be followed at all times.
• All passengers must be listed on the Travel Request, and the Travel Request must be amended immediately if the passenger list changes. 
• In the event that a fleet vehicle is unavailable, a Vehicle Use Denial must be submitted with the Travel Request for mileage reimbursement to be considered. Without the denial form, it will be assumed that a fleet vehicle is available.
• In the event that a fleet vehicle is available for travel purposes and an employee chooses to use their personal vehicle, the mileage reimbursement rate shall be the lowest of the current GSA rate.
  
  

Driver Eligibility

The use of State-owned vehicles by University drivers, especially by students, requires authorization in advance. Drivers must have valid drivers' licenses, safe driving records, and must complete the Driver Information Form (pdf) (found on the University Police web page). Travelers will be approved or denied the ability to operate a fleet vehicle at the discretion of the college.

Student Drivers

Student-owned vehicles cannot be used for official University business. Students are required to be authorized to drive State vehicles under the following conditions:

• applicant must be at least 19 years of age and have a valid U.S. driver’s license;
• students, under specified conditions, may operate State-owned or leased vehicles:
  • if it is not feasible to use another driver;
  • if a designated campus staff person appoints each student driver; and,
  • a staff member must accompany the transport of students for the approved purposes.
• applicant must have the appropriate class of driver’s license to operate the vehicle;
• applicant must agree to participate in the NYS Department of Motor Vehicle License Event Notification Service (LENS) program and sign a Driver’s Privacy Protection Act Release of Personal Information form;
• applicant must sign a certifying statement that they do not have a physical/medical condition that would impair their ability to operate a vehicle;
• applicant must agree to abide by all appropriate laws (Vehicle and Traffic, Department of Transportation, etc.);
• the University reserves the right to deny a person the privilege to operate a State-owned/leased van in cases when such denial is in the best interests of the University.

When students are authorized to use State-owned vehicles for student activities such as sports programs, club programs, or residence hall outings, the University (as the registered owner of the vehicle) will be liable for the operation of the vehicle only by authorized persons. This dictates that the University take reasonable steps to avoid liability by applying the practices outlined above. When students are involved with University business travel, they should be added to the University volunteer list.

Student drivers should be notified in advance that use of rental vehicles paid for by the campus may place their own automobile liability policy at risk in case of an accident.

Personal Owned Vehicle

A personal vehicle may be used for State business purposes when a fleet vehicle or common carrier is not available, is not cost effective, or is otherwise not appropriate. Mileage reimbursements rates for personal owned vehicles are determined by the IRS and are effective from January 1 through December 31.  

• The starting point of your trip should be from SUNY Delhi or your home, whichever is closer to your destination.
• To document personal car mileage for reimbursement, travelers must complete a Statement of Automobile Travel (Form AC 160-S) detailing the mileage claimed and attach it to the Travel Voucher AC132-S.
• Mileage claimed should closely conform to the most efficient time or distance route as calculated by Google Maps or MapQuest. Directions must be submitted with the Statement of Automobile Travel (Form AC 160-S) as backup for reimbursement purposes.
• Only official travel for business purposes should be claimed on the Travel Voucher AC132-S, not side trips such as shopping, entertainment, or personal activities.
• All reasonable and necessary parking and toll charges will be reimbursed as an incidental expense; valet parking will be reimbursed only if it is an unavoidable expense (e.g., when a hotel offers only valet parking).
• Employees must perform a cost comparison between renting and driving their own vehicle if the trip exceeds 100 miles; State guidelines provide that employees will be reimbursed at the lesser of the two costs. This comparison must be performed with the Car Rental Calculators. This worksheet should accompany the Travel Voucher AC132-S when the trip exceeds 100 miles and an employee is to receive reimbursement at the mileage rate.
• When an employee uses a personal car on State business and is involved in an accident, the employee’s insurance provides the primary source of coverage. State involvement is subject to specific requirements detailed in the New York State Public Officers Law §17.

Car Rentals

Travelers are encouraged to use a rental car for short-duration trips, as this is usually a more cost-effective option. When using a rental car, it should be rented from an authorized car rental agency, Enterprise or Hertz, as specified in the OGS contract.

• The vehicle must be rented using the travel card in the name of New York State and the agreement should be signed as an agent for the State with a copy submitted with the Travel Voucher AC132-S.
• Standard or mid-sized vehicles should be rented; in instances in which a larger sized vehicle is necessary, justification must be submitted via email to the college Controller prior to the trip taking place.
• Gasoline and any other direct costs of the rental should be charged to the Travel Card. Tolls that are paid by the E-ZPass method will be reimbursed. Optional services will generally not be reimbursed.
• Only State employees/students may be in the rental car for business rentals. If a non-employee will be in the car, the rental becomes a personal rental, and must not be put on the State travel card or directly billed to the college. Travelers must pay with personal funds and request reimbursement.
• Rental vehicles cannot be refueled using the on-campus gasoline pump. The Purchasing & Accounts Payable Office must be contacted for exemption consideration in the event of extenuating circumstances.

Most rental cars come equipped with an electronic toll payment solution called PlatePass that enables drivers to use covered cashless toll collection lanes or all-electronic tollways, without the use of a personal transponder or paying the toll authority directly. Travelers are advised not to activate the PlatePass feature in the rental vehicle due to the administrative fees charged by the rental agencies. Travelers may use their personal E-ZPass, as long as it is the same vehicle class, and be reimbursed for the tolls paid. If the department has been assigned an E-ZPass unit, travelers should use the assigned unit, if available.

Making Reservations by Phone/In Person

If you are making your reservations by phone/in person, please advise the agent that you are a State employee and provide them with the following customer code to ensure you are receiving State rates and services:

• Enterprise: XZ24L98
• Hertz: 2015467

Liability Exposure While Driving on SUNY Business

State employees and/or SUNY students driving on SUNY business are subject to varying factors in terms of insurance and liability protection. University or student drivers must report any accident occurring during University-authorized activities, whether involving a personal car or a State-owned or rented vehicle. All accidents while on SUNY business are to be reported to University Police. All records of accidents (and serious driving violations) will be evaluated to determine if they disqualify the driver from subsequent authorization until mandatory training or retraining can be provided.

Driver Liability Chart

The driver liability chart (pdf) addresses the various driving scenarios that can occur while driving on SUNY business. The chart describes the insurance coverage coming into play for both students and employees, depending on the type of damages involved (damage to vehicle, personal injuries of driver, damage to another vehicle, or personal injuries of third parties).

Air Travel

The State has been successful in securing contracts with major airlines to provide reduced airfares combined with beneficial service terms. Procurement Services’ airline contracts offer discounted airfares between New York State and other domestic and foreign destinations. The ability to continue achieving such savings depends largely on ensuring that State agencies and authorized users utilize Procurement Services contracts. Accordingly, users are recommended to adhere to the following guidelines when purchasing air travel:

• All airline ticketing must be done through an authorized State travel management contractor (see Travel Management Services contract), responsible for certifying that the ticketing is done in accordance with these guidelines.
• All airline tickets must be purchased using the contracted State Travel Card or Non-Employee Travel Card (NET Card) if using State funds. The NET Card is used for non-employee travel expenses. Employees may not use personal credit cards or other means for reimbursement.
• Receipt for payment and an e-ticket must be submitted with the Travel Voucher AC132-S.
• Employees who purchase airline/train tickets outside of the State contract agencies must provide a quote from one of the contract agencies and submit it with the expense report substantiating the savings. Failure to provide a quote may result in requiring the employee to reimburse the State any amount beyond what that fare could currently have been purchased for by the travel agent.

Keep in mind: the airline and rail transactions fee through the online travel reservation system (Concur) is only $4.95. This is significantly less than the agent-assisted airline transaction fee of $14.95 and is less than fees charged on most airline travel sites.

Concur Travel

SUNY Delhi uses the services of Child Travel New York Inc./Direct Travel through Concur Travel. Travelers will be signed up for Concur once they receive their travel card. An email will be sent to the traveler with their login credentials; from there, the user can log in to the Concur site and book their travel. Contact information is as follows:

Child Travel New York Inc.
d/b/a Direct Travel
95 North State Route 17, Suite 105
Paramus, NJ 07652

Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.: 518-292-9000
Emergency Contact: 800-774-0655

For group bookings, an assistant will need to be designated within Concur, and then the assistant should call to book the reservations.

You may also call the NYS Contract Travel Agency and ask for the NYS Reservations Department. If flying internationally, ask for an international travel counselor.

1. The travel counselor will quote the State contract price through the closest airport. If you choose to fly out of another airport in NYS, ask for the State contract rate from that airport.
2. If there is no State contract flight available for your destination, the travel agency will arrange a flight at the lowest price available. If you have found a flight elsewhere at a reasonable price, ask the travel counselor to match the price.
3. After making your arrangements with the travel counselor, ask to have an email of the itinerary sent to you. Inspect the itinerary carefully to make sure the arrangements are perfect before you give your final approval. Once a non-contract flight is booked, it cannot be changed without paying a change fee (varies from one airfare service provider to another; can be as much as $200).
4. Give the travel agent your Chase Travel card number to book your flight.
5. Electronic tickets will be issued whenever possible. Please print out your copy to bring with you to the airport for check-in at the ticket counter with your picture ID and passport (if applicable). Forward a copy of your ticketed itinerary to acctpay@delhi.edu, as this will be used as a receipt when processing Chase payment. If paper tickets are required, they will be provided per the "Travel Document Delivery" terms detailed on page 10 of the contract.

Common Carrier

Often times the most efficient and cost effective method of transportation is using a common carrier such as a train, bus, taxicab, or airplane. This is true especially for bus or train travel between New York City and Albany. The most economical method should be used unless there are circumstances that would make this unreasonable (justification must be provided). When a common carrier is available but a more expensive method is chosen without sufficient justification, you will be reimbursed at the common carrier rate.

• Where possible, travel should be scheduled using NYS travel services contracts and/or the contract established by OGS for airline travel should be used for coach accommodations when traveling by commercial air.
  • Major commercial bus lines providing service throughout New York State include Greyhound Lines, MegaBus, and Trailways.
• Train travel on Amtrak will be reimbursed at the current Amtrak government rate, and the original ticket must be scanned or attached and included with your Travel Reconciliation Sheet or Travel Voucher AC132-S.
• Charges for traveling by common carrier between a transportation terminal (e.g., airport, bus, train station, etc.) and home or official station that may be incurred are reimbursable for actual costs.