Official transport and driving authorisation

Guidelines for official transport and driving authorisation

These guidelines supplement the provisions of the Agreement on Official Travel (Tjenesterejseaftalen) and must be interpreted in conformity with that agreement.

AU is aware of its geographical spread and its various locations.

Under Clause 11(1) of the Agreement on Official Travel, when selecting means of transportation and travel class in a specific situation, the employee should consider what is most appropriate and economical for the workplace in question.

Public or private transport

The decision whether to use a public or private means of transportation is left to the judgement of the individual employee, who, in exercising that judgement, should consider which form of transportation is most appropriate for AU in terms of cost and/or time.

It is recommended that employees should use AU’s official cars when possible.

A mileage allowance is paid at the normal, low rate unless personal driving authorisation for the high rate has been obtained and the criteria for its payment are met.

Taxis can be used when public transport is not appropriate.

Form of public transport

Employees can opt to travel first class by rail – including the through train between Aarhus and Copenhagen – by agreement with their immediate superior. Otherwise standard class should be chosen.

Air travel

The cheapest mode of travel must be chosen for domestic journeys. Rail should be selected in preference to air travel unless air travel is cheaper or most appropriate in the specific case. However, domestic air travel is always a permissible option if it is part of a combined official journey involving air travel to/from abroad.

Economy, Economy+ or similar must be selected for international air travel.

High-rate driving authorisation

Personal high-rate driving authorisation can only be granted in exceptional circumstances. It is only possible in the small number of cases in which an employee is required to use his/her own means of transport for work and where it would be difficult to do the job unless the person in question used private transport. The employee’s work-related driving must be of a scope and/or nature that makes work-related driving necessary or of considerable value to the workplace.

Driving authorisation can be granted for a specific official journey or in general.

[1] Circular on the Agreement on Official Travel (Cirkulære om tjenesterejseaftalen), Agency for the Modernisation of Public Administration Circular No. 057-00. The agreement is between the State Employer’s Authority (now: Agency for the Modernisation of Public Administration) and the Danish Central Federation of State Employees’ Organisations.

Conditions for giving a single high-rate driving authorisation in connection with a specific official journey:

If the official journey’s destination cannot be reached or can only be reached with difficulty using public transport.
If AU can reduce travel expenses significantly by allowing an employee to use his/her own car because he/she is transporting at least two colleagues.
If the purpose of the official journey requires the transportation of heavy items, e.g. information material, displays, equipment, etc., which it would be difficult to carry on public transport.
If an employee uses his/her car to drive students in connection with official duties because an official car is not available.
The employees at the Department of Forensic Medicine receive the high rate from the first kilometre when using their own means of transport to drive to a crime scene examination or a personal examination of victims/offenders.

Based on a specific assessment, the conditions for a general high-rate driving authorisation are:

A general high-rate driving authorisation is given for the number of kilometres driven on official business up to 20,000 km per year when an employee makes so many official journeys that AU would otherwise be forced to provide him/her with an official means of transport. In these cases, the high rate will be paid from the first kilometre driven. A general driving authorisation can be given for a maximum of two years at a time and must always include a description of the circumstances in which the high rate can be used.

or

Employees who regularly perform special tasks (e.g. required tasks which must be performed outside normal working hours) that require transport which can only be performed with difficulty unless the employee uses his/her own means of transport.

If an official journey has been made using private transport without complying with the conditions for high-rate driving authorisation
Any time an official journey is made using private transport without complying with the conditions for the high rate, the employee will receive the low rate.

Rules regarding decision-making authority

Formal decision-making authority rests with the dean and deputy directors, who are responsible for determining the most appropriate practice for the authorisation of transport by delegation.

The rules regarding decision-making authority also apply to decisions as to whether employees may travel first class by rail or whether they may travel by air rather than rail. As part of the decision-making process, emphasis may be placed on the importance of being able to work while travelling.

Documentation
A scanned voucher/authorisation form must be attached in RejsUd in the following cases:

Driving authorisation for the high rate

Self-certification form for single high-rate driving authorisation - in accordance with the guidelines for official transport and driving authorisation.

The self-certification form is available here (NOTE: The declaration must be signed digitally in "Adobe Acrobat". Otherwise, the document must be signed manually using a printout)

General driving authorisation for official travel at the government’s high rate - in accordance with the guidelines for official transport and driving authorisation.