Sample Organisational ‘Grey Fleet’ Policy

1. Business Travel

1.1 is responsible for meeting the cost of travel by its employees on official business. Official travelling means necessary travel for the purpose of official business, including:
• attendance at meetings in pursuit of official business;
• attendance at departmental selection boards;
• attendance at promotion boards;
• attendance at training courses; and
• journeys made on recall to duty from annual leave.

1.2 It is necessary for to give attention to economic efficiency in its
spending on employee travel, and this means reviewing the cost of travel and promoting the most cost effective method of transport to employees in the first instance.

1.3 is committed to reducing the impact on the environment from its business travel. The Government’s vision for a sustainably-managed estate includes the target for government to “reduce carbon emissions from road vehicles used for Government administrative operations by 15% by 2010/11, relative to 2005/06 levels”. This means both looking at ways to reduce miles travelled and also identifying methods of transport with lower carbon emissions per mile.

1.4 As part of our overall health and safety policy, is also committed to managing the risks that our employees face and create when driving or riding for work. We ask all our employees to play their part.

2. Necessity of Travel

2.1 Employees will only be reimbursed for expenses, which they actually and necessarily
incur in the course of official travel.

2.2 Before contemplating any journey the following assessments need to be undertaken regarding the necessity of the journey:
• Can the need for the journey, or task be carried out equally well using Video Conferencing facilities, telephone, e-mail, or through correspondence?
• Can the meeting or need for the journey be postponed until a later date, or brought forward and then be combined with an additional requirement to travel, to reduce overall travel costs?
• Is a colleague already travelling to the same meeting or location by car, with spare capacity?
• If the journey is necessary, has it been approved by your Line Manager after all of the above considerations have been taken into account?

3. Transport Hierarchy of Decision Making

3.1 It is the responsibility of Line Managers to ensure that their employees use the most efficient and economical means of travel, taking into account the cost of travel, the cost of subsistence and savings in official time. More expensive means of travel may only be authorised when justified by a management benefit, or to meet the needs of employees with disabilities, and should be explained (for HM Revenue & Customs) on the relevant part of the T&S claim form.

3.2 At all times the following order of priority should be adhered to when travelling on official business:
• Public Transport: it is Government policy that wherever possible public transport should be used in order the reduce congestion and pollution on the roads
• Pool Vehicle:
• Lease Vehicle: an appropriate lease vehicle will be provided for eligible employees travelling over miles annually. Please refer to ’s lease vehicle policy for further information.
• Hire Car: it is particularly required for car journeys in excess of miles return that a hire car is used. The normal expectation would be that the hire car would be in the Group category. Please refer to ’s hire car policy for further information.
• Private vehicle: in certain circumstances, an employee may be authorised to use their own vehicle for journeys under miles return.
3.3 There is a particular requirement that, where a car is the right travel option, then for all return journeys expected to exceed 100 miles, employees should hire a car through our corporate contract rather than use their own vehicle.

3.4 In exceptional cases (e.g. where there is a medical condition or disability) a journey in an employee-owned vehicle may exceed miles. In these cases, authorisation will be required in advance of the journey from the .

4. Using a Private Vehicle

4.1 Payments may be made to allow employees to use their own vehicles for journeys under miles, provided there is a benefit to the Department and the mileage rate represents the most cost effective means of transport for the journey.

4.2 Employees driving for work in their own vehicle must ensure that it always complies with the law, is in safe and roadworthy condition and is suitable for its purpose.
4.3 When claiming motor mileage in a private vehicle, the employee signs the declaration on the Travel and Subsistence claim form to recognise their obligations as follows:
• to ensure that the vehicle meets the minimum safety specifications reqired by name of department]. Please refer to clause 6 for further information on minimum vehicle standards
• to ensure the vehicle is taxed and, where appropriate, has a valid MOT certificate
• to ensure their motor insurance policy includes business use cover for the amount and type of mileage they undertake, and covers ‘business’ passengers.
Please refer to clause 7 for further information on insurance requirements
• to ensure they possess a valid licence to drive the vehicle being used
• to ensure the vehicle is serviced according to the manufacturer’s specifications
• to ensure the vehicle is not used inappropriately, (e.g. unsecured load carrying, or hazardous off-road access). Please refer to clause 8 for further information on conditions of use

5. Ongoing Governance of Private Vehicle Use

5.1 It is the responsibility of the Line Manager to:
• ensure employees understand their responsibilities to ensure vehicles are legal, safe and well-maintained
• check vehicle documents in advance of first use of vehicle for business purposes and at least annually thereafter
• carry out periodic visual inspections of employees’ own vehicles used for work
• follow monitoring, authorisation and reporting procedures to help manage transport usage.

5.2 It is the responsibility of employees using their own vehicles for business to:
• present the vehicle’s MOT certificate, insurance policy and service schedule for inspection in advance of first driving for work and thereafter on request by Line Manager
• present their driving licence for inspection in advance of first driving for work and thereafter on request by Line Manager
• notify Line Manager of any sanctions imposed on their licence, restrictions on ability to drive, material changes to insurance provision and vehicle defects
• cooperate with monitoring, authorisation and reporting procedures.

6. Minimum Vehicle Standards

6.1 As a minimum, any employee-owned vehicle used for business purposes should meet the following standards:
• Minimum safety feature of seatbelts and head restraints fitted to all seats

Possible requirements departments may wish to include as essential or desirable:
• Euro NCAP rating no lower than 4 stars
• Vehicle Tax Band no higher than DVLA Band C
• Age of car no older than four years
• Vehicle covered for Breakdown Assistance

6.2 Further desirable standards for an employee-owned vehicle used for business purposes include:
• Vehicle fitted with driver’s airbag
• Vehicle fitted with ABS
• Vehicle fitted with a stability control system, such as ESP

7. Insurance of Private Vehicles

7.1 Motor Mileage Allowance will only be paid where the employee holds an insurance policy that covers bodily injury to or death of third parties, bodily injury to or death of any passenger; and damage to the property of third parties, and permits the use of the car either in connection with the mileage allowance claimants' business, or the business of the employing department or agency. When first using their car on official business,  employees must declare in writing that they know and understand the ownership and insurance requirements of the OGC and whether they meet those requirements.

7.2 It is the responsibility of the Line Manager to verify the insurance status of their employees, via either the original insurance document or a cover note. Any material changes to the employee’s insurance provision shall be notified to the Line Manager.

8. Conditions of Use for Private Vehicles

8.1 At those times when an employee-owned vehicle is being used for business purposes, the driver shall not carry any non- passengers.
8.2 At these times, the driver shall complete their journey from starting point to destination without going out of the way for any non work-related purpose (e.g. shopping, visiting family).

9. Mileage Claiming Process

9.1 Mileage claims shall be paid to employees only when the relevant document and  licence checks detailed in clause 5.2 have been carried out and reported to Finance.

Possible Additional Clauses departments may choose to insert:

9.2 Mileage claims for return journeys over 100 miles in private vehicles shall be paid only where the employee has received prior authorisation for that journey from the designated authoriser.

9.3 Employees driving a private vehicle that does not meet the minimum standards set in
will be paid mileage claims only at the Public Transport Rate.

10. Managing Occupational Road Risk

10.1 When opting to drive on business it is important to remember and apply the following health and safety best practice:
• you should ensure that you familiarise yourself with the controls of any hire car before setting off
• you must never use a mobile telephone whilst driving, and should instead switch it off to avoid the possibility of distraction.
• at all times you must obey speed limits, and never drive faster than road or driving conditions safely allow. Avoid incentives to speed and allow time at the start of any journey for delays en-route: congestion, hold-ups and bad weather
• make sure that you are fit to drive: do not undertake a long journey (longer than an hour) if you feel tired
• plan your journey to take sufficient break: a minimum break of at least 15 minutes after every two hours of driving is recommended
• you must be able to read a new style number plate from a distance of 20 metres (66 feet). If you need to wear glasses, or contact lenses you must wear them at all times whilst driving.