Surface Travel

As with all travel expenses, approval should be obtained from your department head prior to making arrangements. Individual departments may have limits in addition to those imposed by campus policy. There may also be funding limitations of which you are not aware.

Rental Cars

The university has negotiated agreements. These agreements are for UC employees or visitors traveling on official university business only. Travelers are expected to use these agreements when possible.

These agreements include Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) and liability insurance for travel within the continental United States. The agreements cover any damage sustained by the rental vehicle and provide increased liability coverage. These types of insurance may be included for car rentals outside of the continental United States; check the agreements for details.

If the agreement includes LDW and liability insurance, decline these options on the rental agreement form. If you don't decline them on the form, you will be charged twice (once via the agreement rate and once because you didn't decline them on the form). If you opt for these insurance types when they are already included in the agreement, you will not be reimbursed the additional expense.

Using a Car Rental Agreement

Car rental reservations can be made through Connexxus, which has the university agreement terms and conditions already built in. However, if you prefer to make reservations by contacting the car rental companies directly:

identify yourself as a university employee or visitor on university business
provide the vendor with the campus ID number at the time of reservation
make sure the UC ID number is cited on the rental contract
verify that the rental contract includes the LDW and liability insurance at no additional cost
do not purchase insurance unless the agreement does not include it
If mixing business and personal travel during the trip, a separate contract must be used for the personal portion.

Per policy, travelers must rent a compact or economy car. If these classes are not available or are impractical (e.g., group of 5 traveling together), then a higher class is permitted.

If a user wants to upgrade to a higher class when a compact or economy class car is suitable and available, they will only be reimbursed for the amount of a compact or economy car.

What To Do in the Event of an Accident

In the event of an accident while using a rental car:

contact the police department in the jurisdiction where the accident occurred
notify the rental car agency where you rented the vehicle
provide other involved parties with information from the rental car agreement
report the incident to Risk Management Services as soon as possible.