Expense reimbursement for taxis or public transportation use

Handling the expense reimbursements under Loss of Use (LOU) for the expense of hiring taxis and using public transportation.

Rates and other charges

Regardless of the cost to the customer, expense reimbursements are limited to either

the daily and total limits indicated in a customer’s policy, or
what is reasonable for a customer accessing their
- Basic Vehicle Damage coverage, for a claim with a date of loss (DOL) on May 1, 2021, or later, or
- Third Party Liability (TPL) coverage, for a claim with a DOL on April 30, 2021, or earlier.

Taxi and public transportation rates are standardized

taxi rates, published on the Passenger Transportation Board’s website, and
public transportation rates or fares are published on either the
- TransLink’s website, for Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, or
- BC Transit’s website, for the rest of British Columbia (B.C.), including Victoria.

Other charges may include

gratuities and tips, refer to topic, Tipping and gratuity reimbursement policy
toll and parking fees
clean-up fees, indicated as “Soiling a vehicle” in the Standard Rules for Taxicab Rates, or
a dismissal fee, which is charged when a customer orders a taxi, but changes their mind when the taxi arrives at the given address.

A claims representative must use their discretion when reimbursing charges over and above normal rates.

Note: For additional reimbursement information, refer to the policy, Policy on Loss of Use authorizations..

Authorizations, extensions, and finalizations

Communicate the authorizations, extensions, and finalizations to the customer, as ICBC has no interactions with the taxi or public transportation companies.

Authorizations

Tell the customer that they are authorized to submit receipts for consideration of reimbursement, and that reimbursement can not exceed either

the daily and total limits indicated in their policy, or
what is reasonable given their personal circumstances, for customer’s using
- Basic Vehicle Damage coverage, for claims with a DOL on May 1, 2021, or later, or
- TPL coverage, for claims with a DOL on April 30, 2021, or earlier.

Extensions

Determine what costs have been incurred since the authorization, as well as the status of the customer’s vehicle, to confirm if an extension is appropriate. Daily and total limits, or what is reasonable, still apply.

Finalizations

Tell the customer what the final day of coverage is, and that reimbursement will be determined when all receipts are provided. Daily and total limits, or what is reasonable, still apply.

Proof of payment

Taxi and public transportation companies do not issue detailed invoices. Each charge is presented as a standalone receipt and the customer must keep each one to present for consideration of reimbursement.

All paper documents are mailed to the Document Capture Facility (DCF).

Taxi invoices

Taxi invoices will look like typical receipts printed from a debit machine.

Public transportation invoices

Public transportation invoices are the transit passes used by the customer. A transit pass may be a bus transfer, compass ticket, or other type of pass.

Other proof of payment

Customers may use their credit or debit card to pay for taxis or public transportation and may submit their statement identifying the charges. Ask the customer to highlight the charges on their statement and redact other charges or sensitive information such as bank account numbers.