Reimbursement for Use of Privately Owned Vehicle

An advance decision was requested as to the proper method of determining constructive travel expenses when, as a matter of personal preference, a privately-owned vehicle is used for official travel in lieu of common carrier transportation. The current regulation in the Federal Travel Regulations requires an agency to determine the employee's reimbursement for such travel by comparing the total actual costs to the total constructive costs. The constructive cost of local travel by rental cars and taxicabs may not be included in the constructive cost of common carrier transportation for the purpose of determining the maximum reimbursement of actual costs. However, the constructive cost of common carrier transportation for local travel may be included, or the use of a privately owned conveyance may be approved as advantageous to the government and reimbursement determined on that basis.