Rental Vehicle Occupancy and Insurance Coverage
To articulate occupancy and insurance protocols for vehicles rented for the conducting of university business.
All faculty, staff, and students
Maximum Occupancy
Due to safety concerns, 15-passenger vans may not be used to transport more than nine (9) persons, including the driver. Because weight distribution is a factor in rollover propensity of 15-passenger vans, cargo of equivalent weight should not be substituted for passengers. More information about the rollover concerns with these vehicles is located in the background section of this policy.
12-passenger vans have not been linked to a similar propensity for rollover accidents as have 15-passenger vans. Thus, 12-passenger vans may be filled to capacity.
KU Employees renting vehicles for university business must comply with the policies of the rental companies. 12 and 15-passenger vans do not meet the Federal Bus Safety Standards. Therefore, when transporting children in the twelfth (12th) grade or younger for school related functions, utilize mini vans.
Liability & Collision Insurance Coverage
The university negotiated a mandatory rental contract with Enterprise Holdings for the U.S. and Canada. Enterprise Holdings is the corporate parent of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Enterprise CarShare. This contract includes collision coverage, including the rental of 12 and 15-passanger vans. Therefore, any vehicle rented for university business must be booked with one of the aforementioned companies and must be reserved using the KU departmental account code or contract number. For any vehicles rented in countries outside of the U.S. and Canada, the university strongly recommends the purchase of additional collision coverage. Please note the purchase of collision insurance may not be an allowable expense on grant funding. Please verify with KU Research before purchasing collision coverage on grant funds.
If a KU employee needs to rent a vehicle and is in an area not served by the companies listed above, the university procurement card (UKANS or KURES p-card) must be used to make the reservation. Use of the P-card provides the driver with collision coverage under the Visa contract. The Visa contract only covers vehicles that are designed to carry a maximum of 8 passengers, including the driver. If a vehicle designed to carry more than 8 people is needed, the university strongly recommends the purchase of collision coverage.
If a KU employee needs to rent a vehicle and is in an area not served by the companies listed above and does not use the university P-card (UKANS and/or KURES P-card), collision coverage must be purchased.
If collision coverage is not purchased, as articulated in the sections above, and the vehicle is involved in an accident, the individual and/or the KU unit that employs the individual will be required to cover the cost of damages.
Note: Vehicle rental companies may have additional policies. These policies could include age restrictions for drivers of rental vehicles. KU Employees renting vehicles for university business must comply with the policies of the rental companies.
Procurement Services
Ph 785-864-5800
Fax 785-864-3454
purchasing@ku.edu
KU Research
Ph 785-864-3441
Fax 785-864-5025
kucrpurchasing@ku.edu
In 2001, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted a study to determine whether 15-passenger vans were more susceptible to rollover than other vehicles. The study concluded that the potential to rollover increased with the occupancy of the van due, in part, to the shift in the center of gravity that occurs when the vans are fully loaded. More recent data has confirmed that the design of these vehicles continues to present the same rollover propensities in 15-passanger vans.
02/07/2023: Updated link.
03/12/2019: The title of VP for Administration and Finance no longer exists. Future approvals will be made by the Chief Financial Officer and Vice Provost for Finance.
05/30/2017: Fixed broken link.
07/08/2016: Added details about transporting passengers in the 12th grade or younger.
05/27/2016: New policy uploaded into Policy Library
