HATS Explores the Guaranteed Ride Home Program

 A Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) is program that gives commuters the peace of mind to leave their car behind and take an alternative mode of travel instead. Commuters are provided with a mechanism to avoid being stranded at work in case of an emergency such person illness, illness of a family member, natural disaster or overtime. Typically, in the form of a voucher or reimbursement for a cab or rental car. 

With the East Helena route being converted into a commuter route a Guaranteed Ride Program would be an ideal incentive to increase commuting by bus into Helena. Before such a program may be implemented there are a few items to be decided: who is eligible (all employees or just those living in East Helena), what trips are eligible (riding the bus, or all modes of alternative transportation), the number of uses allowed in a period of time, the sponsor agency (HATS or another coordinator), and the funding and amount covered? These questions are determined by each individual work place that participates in a GRH program. HATS can may assist in the development of these programs along with other stakeholders, but it is at the discretion of the employers to support alternative modes of transportation in their workplace.  Though HATS will be the focus, a GRH program allows all forms of multi-modal transportation options to be considered.

More more information about the Guaranteed Ride Home program click the links below. 

http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm18.htm

http://www.nctr.usf.edu/clearinghouse/grhfund.htm