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Credits

Section 2, Chapter 9

• Definition
• Benefits
• Challenges
• Implementation Steps
  • Look for Government-sponsored Programs
  • Create a Company Sponsored Program
  • Develop Incentives
• Cost / Savings
• Resources
• Case Studies

Definition:

A Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) program offers Commute Solutions participants a way to travel to home or other locations in the case of an emergency. GRH programs usually use subsidized taxi rides for employees, but use of company vehicles also is common.

Benefits

Challenges

• Possible cost to administer the program

Implementation Steps

GRH programs are essential in most cases. A majority of employees have children and want to have access to a car in case they need to reach their children, who may be ill or injured, during the workday. If you rideshare, take the bus, bike or walk to work, your car is out of reach.

Kids aren't the only reason for needing a car. Sometimes a spouse or other family member needs help in an emergency. Additionally, even employees with fairly set schedules sometimes have an unscheduled or unplanned work project that needs to be handled and requires them to stay late.

So without some way to provide emergency transportation, an employer may rule out the participation of a large number of employees in Commute Solutions strategies.

To establish a GRH program, an ETC should take the following steps.

1. Look for Government-sponsored Programs
Nonprofits and transit authorities often offer GRH programs that are paid for entirely or subsidized, making the cost to employers or employees little. Capital Metro, for instance, offers a GRH program to its vanpool members and Express/Flyer Bus riders who use the service three times a week, for a cost of $5 a year. The program offers:

• Up to four taxi rides each calendar year for emergencies.
• Each taxi ride is reimbursable up to $48.50 for fare and gratuity

Employers can pay for enrollment in the program for employees and get a large incentive for a small amount of money. Since the program only covers vanpools and Express/Flyer service run by Capital Metro, other bus service, carpoolers, bicyclists and walkers, employers should consider their own GRH program to fill the gap and the needs of all Commute Solutions participants.

2. Create a Company Sponsored Program
It's fairly simple to create a GRH program specifically for an employer. Often, employers sign up for accounts with taxi services to allow for billing of trips. In this case, a Commute Solutions participant needing a ride simply asks the ETC (or another staff member if they are absent) for a taxi company voucher to present to the cab driver in lieu of payment.

The employer is then billed later for the charge. Limits can be placed on the amount of the voucher, usually reflecting existing programs, such as Capital Metro's $48.50 cap. Employees can receive reimbursements if they have a dire emergency and have to leave before getting a voucher.

Other options for a GRH program include:

• Splitting the cost of taxi fares with employees (The employer picks up part of the fare)
• Providing pool vehicles (company cars) for personal use in case of an emergency. If all pool vehicles are checked out, the employee could use a taxi with reimbursement.
• Providing a ride to the Commute Solution participant's car (with staff designated to give rides)

3. Develop Incentives
A GRH program is an incentive in itself. The employer can decide, however, on limits to GRH subsidies

Cost / Savings
Employee savings come from participating in Commute Solutions programs.

Although the costs would seem to be high at roughly $50 a taxi ride times four rides a year, the reality is that most employees never use GRH programs. The need to drive to school to pick up a sick child is the biggest fear most parents have about leaving their cars at home, but in most instances these occurrences are rare.

Or if an emergency does arise at school, a spouse with a car often is available to take care of the situation. On the rare occasion that an emergency event strikes at school, childcare, or somewhere else, and no one is available to help, the GRH offers the ride.

National studies show that fewer than 10 percent of GRH members ever utilize the program even one time. The peace of mind offered by the program is its greatest asset. The savings, of course, are created from additional employees who can take part in Commute Solutions.

Resources

Capital Metro
www.capmetro.org
512-389-7513
Capital Metro provides a low-cost GRH program for its vanpoolers and Express Bus/Flyer riders.

Case Study

A detailed employee transportation survey and numerous focus groups at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) in Austin clearly demonstrated that fears about not having a car and needing one in an emergency would be a determining factor for whether dozens of those interested in Commute Solutions actually participated.

A Commute Solutions Committee and the company's ETC agreed that the program was crucial. The company decided to let Capital Metro handle GRH for vanpoolers and Express Bus/Flyer riders, and AMD would pay the employee's annual $5 fee for the program.

An AMD-subsidized program covers carpoolers, regular bus riders, bicyclists and walkers. The ETC decided the easiest thing to do would be to mirror Capital Metro's program, setting the same limits of four taxi rides each calendar year at $48.50 maximum per ride.

To get a GRH, an employee simply calls the ETC, or the security desk if the ETC is unavailable, to get a voucher that covers the limited cost of the taxi ride. The employee pays for any additional fees.

The AMD Commute Solutions Committee worried that the costs for the program might outweigh the benefits of additional participants. But with approximately 100 eligible participants, only three per year used GRH, at a cost of about $60 per year.

The issue of covering emergencies was addressed, and it provided a benefit that all participants could take advantage of in a time of need. AMD's ETC does not ask for explanations on the use of the vouchers, but she did get first hand accounts of their uses from two employees—one who used a taxi trip to meet a spouse at the emergency room, and the other to help out a sick friend in need.