Commuting Compensation

[Dubber]

A question for fellow commuters or others in the know:

 

I'm in the position where my Company pays partly for my petrol and car maintenance. For each kilometer traveled I can claim back R3.50.

 

Now, on occasion I commute into work - which over a month, adds up to around 400 km. (80 to 100 km per week).

 

So in theory I'm saving the company about R1400 a month in fuel/maintenance costs.

 

Ideally I would like to claim some of this money back for bike maintenance - which currently comes out of my pocket. Obviously the costs of running the bike is minimal compared to a car so I'm not expecting to get the full amount.

At the moment the Boss isn't too keen on handing any portion of this amount over. (Not because he doesn't want, rather mainly because there is no precedent for doing it in the Company until now).

 

Anybody been in a similar situation and come up with a winning solution?

 

G

[Flowta]

A question for fellow commuters or others in the know:

 

I'm in the position where my Company pays partly for my petrol and car maintenance. For each kilometer traveled I can claim back R3.50.

 

Now, on occasion I commute into work - which over a month, adds up to around 400 km. (80 to 100 km per week).

 

So in theory I'm saving the company about R1400 a month in fuel/maintenance costs.

 

Ideally I would like to claim some of this money back for bike maintenance - which currently comes out of my pocket. Obviously the costs of running the bike is minimal compared to a car so I'm not expecting to get the full amount.

At the moment the Boss isn't too keen on handing any portion of this amount over. (Not because he doesn't want, rather mainly because there is no precedent for doing it in the Company until now).

 

Anybody been in a similar situation and come up with a winning solution?

 

G

 

You're lucky to get paid for bringing your car in.

 

I can only claim if it's work related, getting to the office and home is for my own account (80km per day).

[Hairy]

You're lucky to get paid for bringing your car in.

 

I can only claim if it's work related, getting to the office and home is for my own account (80km per day).

Flowta, you are also lucky, I don't even get to claim if it is work related .....

[straatvark]

How this is encouraged in Ireland: http://www.biketowork.ie/

[Cav']

Unless the AA and CSA join forces you're out of luck.

 

Unless...

 

You leave your car in the office parking area whole week and commute. (And pretend you came by car)

[Pants Boy]

You leave your car in the office parking area whole week and commute. (And pretend you came by car)

Oh, you mean lie? Or is it committing fraud? Not sure about the semantics

[TYGA]

There's a SARS implication for the company in there somewhere.

[A Jay]

I think the SARS implication is for the individual. It gets treated as extra income and gets added to you salary and then taxed. The same applies to having a company petrol card, the fuel bill gets added to your salary and then taxed as income.

[I FLY]

When I did the bike commuting/gautrain trip vs drive my car to work sums its was cheaper to leave my car at home and go by bike.

 

My car costs only got re-imbursed at about 50% of actual plus the R30 etolls was for my account.

 

I was fitter, saved money and delayed the replacement of my car by 6 months for each year of bike commuting.

[BLACKvoodoo]

Asking for compensation when not using your car, is like asking to get paid when you miss a day of work after a massive party that ended at 4am.

Edited May 13, 2014 by BLACKvoodoo

[RocknRolla]

In an ideal world there should be provision to use one's bicycle for travel to work and back - in the form of tax insentives, or assistance for purchasing a bicycle for this purpose.

 

Claiming travel allowance from sars is only for kilometers traveled for business purposes in one's own vehicle- this excludes travelling to work and back.

It makes sense to travel by bicycle as I-fly stated above, to save money - but you cant be compensated for maintenance. If you travel for business purposes during the day, leaving a car at the office makes 100% sense.

[Shebeen]

A question for fellow commuters or others in the know:

 

I'm in the position where my Company pays partly for my petrol and car maintenance. For each kilometer traveled I can claim back R3.50.

 

Now, on occasion I commute into work - which over a month, adds up to around 400 km. (80 to 100 km per week).

 

So in theory I'm saving the company about R1400 a month in fuel/maintenance costs.

 

Ideally I would like to claim some of this money back for bike maintenance - which currently comes out of my pocket. Obviously the costs of running the bike is minimal compared to a car so I'm not expecting to get the full amount.

At the moment the Boss isn't too keen on handing any portion of this amount over. (Not because he doesn't want, rather mainly because there is no precedent for doing it in the Company until now).

 

Anybody been in a similar situation and come up with a winning solution?

 

G

How far is your commute? I'm guessing on most occasions you drive?

 

I think the best way is that you first need to sell it to the bossman that you commuting is a good idea, most people think it's insane. From there you can try schemes that would then encourage others to ride. Currently it appears that you are discourgaed from riding, but the R3.50 is the AA rate, it's what you'd be spending on your car anyway so it's not really a gain.

 

Unfortunately we don't have bike to work schemes, plenty of mates in london subsidized their bikes through company bike scheme, probably paid for 30% of bike in the end. Good luck, i've only ever commuted to corporates shaking their head at me.

[Sharkie 2]

There's a SARS implication for the company in there somewhere.

Exactly my company also compensates us per km traveled whether private or business although much lower than yours which just covers the fuel bill, anycase the company will get a SARS benefit from this so don't think you will get it right with the bike

[Hairy]

commuting on a daily basis means that you eat like a horse ... .get him to at least foot your food bill for breakfast and lunch on the company account

[Dubber]

Asking for compensation when not using your car, is like asking to get paid when you miss a day of work after a massive party that ended at 4am.

 

True - but it's worth a try, no? ;-)

[Dubber]

How far is your commute? I'm guessing on most occasions you drive?

 

I think the best way is that you first need to sell it to the bossman that you commuting is a good idea, most people think it's insane. From there you can try schemes that would then encourage others to ride. Currently it appears that you are discourgaed from riding, but the R3.50 is the AA rate, it's what you'd be spending on your car anyway so it's not really a gain.

 

Unfortunately we don't have bike to work schemes, plenty of mates in london subsidized their bikes through company bike scheme, probably paid for 30% of bike in the end. Good luck, i've only ever commuted to corporates shaking their head at me.

 

Hi

 

The commute is about 20km's each way. So 40 km's a day.

I generally commute twice (maybe 3 days a week).

 

The fact of getting AA rates for the car isn't the reason I don't commute all the time. My commute is my 'easy days' i.e. 50% to 60% of max rides. The days that I don't commute are my hard 80%+ plus days which happens before work and then I use the car as 'recovery'.

 

Boss likes the fact that I commute. But, as everyone has pretty much said, there isn't a precedent / scheme that he can use as guidelines on how to go about refunding me.

 

So either he is going to break new ground or it's not going to happen.