HQ Rideshare Services

Rules for Using the Rideshare Services

• Rideshare Services are for official government business transportation purposes only, for local transportation traveling within 50 miles of your Duty Station.
  • This service is not for commuting.
• Each transportation trip must be booked by a federal employee and used by at least one federal employee.  Contractor(s) may accompany a federal employee(s) on their trip.
• Federal employees, at the time of booking, must certify the following:
  • THE USE OF THIS SERVICE IS ONLY FOR LOCAL TRAVEL FOR OFFICIAL PURPOSES THAT SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE DEPARTMENT.  TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN AN INDIVIDUAL’S PLACE OF RESIDENCE AND PLACE OF WORK IS NOT FOR OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT PURPOSES AND IS PROHIBITED BY LAW. BY BOOKING THIS TRIP, YOU ARE HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGING THAT YOUR USE OF THIS SERVICE IS LOCAL TRAVEL, SPECIFICALLY FOR OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT PURPOSES. INAPPROPRIATE USE OF THIS SERVICE WILL REQUIRE REPAYMENT OF MISUSED FUNDS AND MAY RESULT IN DISCIPLINARY ACTION.
  • You must also type in the actual purpose of the transportation in a secondary expense code field, that will be reviewed by the office's Program Administrator. Incomplete, erroneous and “N/A” entries (or similar) are not acceptable and will be subject to review.
• A remote employee who travels within the local commuting area (LCA) of their Official Remote Worksite, to engage in other work‐related activities (e.g., training) at locations other than a DOE worksite, may be eligible for local transportation reimbursement and may therefore use Rideshare.
• Trips between DOE HQ locations previously serviced by the Shuttle Bus are still allowed.
• Contractor(s) may accompany a federal employee(s) but are not eligible to book trips that are paid directly by DOE or maintain accounts that are billed to the Working Capital Fund (WCF).
• Federal employees must select the most cost effective or accessible option to meet the transportation need within the Economy Levels as determined by the Vendor(s).
• Pre-scheduling of trips within the Vendor(s) ridesharing applications (defined as scheduling a trip more than 1 hour in advance) incurs an additional cost to the Department and Program Offices.  Use of this feature should be limited and must be pre-authorized by the Program Office Administrator(s).
• If you are not sure if a trip is allowed, contact the Rideshare Services Program Administrator for your organization.
  • If you do not know who your organization's Administrator is, you may contact the overall program coordinator at HQRideshare@hq.doe.gov.  The overall program coordination is not an on-demand service, may not be immediately available, or may be unavailable for a longer period than your response is requested, if you do not get a response in your needed timeframe work within your organizational management to identify your office's Rideshare Services Program Administrator.
• ​​​​​​​The hours of use are not restricted.
• The number of trips per day is not restricted.
• ​​​​​​​The total cost per trip or per day is not restricted.

Guidance and Responsibilities When Using the Rideshare Services

• ​​​​​​​Report any accidental or intentional misuse to your organization's Rideshare Services Program Administrator immediately.
• Participants will not provide drivers a gratuity in excess of 15% of the fare when tipping is approved.  Currently tipping is not allowed/authorized for the Uber for Business services.
• If requested by your organization's Rideshare Services Program Administrator, provide any trip-related information needed to help resolve questions or concerns regarding questionable or inappropriate charges.  At a minimum, this would include the purpose of the trip, trip receipt and other documentation which can be used to verify the legitimate use of the Program.
• Immediately report any incidents with drivers or vehicle accidents to your organization's Rideshare Services Program Administrator, and to the overall program coordinator at HQRideshare@hq.doe.gov.
• Specific authority for the use of appropriated funds to pay for transportation for official purposes is contained in Section 1344(A)(A) of Title 31, U.S. Code.  Use of this transportation for any other purpose is inappropriate and against the law.
• Employees must meet the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, and refrain from submitting reimbursement claims for trips billed directly to a Program Office under the Rideshare Services Program.
• Employees misusing the Rideshare Program are subject to appropriate disciplinary action such as reprimand, suspension, or dismissal as described in the Table of Penalties (as well as the travel charge card table of penalties), DOE O 333.1, Administering Work Force Discipline, Adverse and Performance Based Action, based on the severity of the misconduct.
• A valid personal payment method must be maintained in your personal profile with whichever vendor(s) you use, otherwise you will not have an active account with the vendor and your DOE Business Profile will not be accessible. 

Program Office-Specific Transportation Parameters

Each individual Program Office may have enhancements or restrictions for their employees, such as the locations serviced, times of day and days of the week that are allowed, the number of trips allowed, and other parameters.  Contact your organization's Rideshare Services Program Administrator if you have questions or concerns.