Guaranteed
Ride Home: a Program to Encourage Commuting Alternatives
This memo provides a definition of a Guaranteed Ride Home
(GRH) and outlines some scenarios for the Helena area.
“Community-based guaranteed ride home (GRH) programs provide
a way for employees who commute to work by public transportation, carpool,
vanpool, biking, or walking to travel when an unexpected need to do so arises.
For tens of thousands of U.S. workers registered in GRH programs, this ability
to get home in the case of personal or family illness or emergency or after
unexpected changes to their work schedule on a given day, is often “safety net”
that gives them the same peace of mind as if they had their personal vehicle
with them at all times.”[1]
Potential Scenarios for a Guaranteed Ride Home in the Greater
Helena Area
Scenario 1
An
employee working at the Capital Complex who carpools from the North Valley needs
to work unexpected overtime and is unable to carpool home. The employee
utilizes a car from the motor pool and returns the car the following day.
Scenario 2
An
employee working at St. Pete’s regularly rides their bike to work. An intense
thunderstorm approaches during their normal time to commute home. The employee
receives a complimentary HATS token to commute home safe and dry with their bike.
Scenario 3
An
employee who teaches in East Helena but lives in Helena takes the East Valley
Commuter route to work. The
teacher has a child who is sick that needs to be picked up from school in
Helena. The employee receives a cab ride home and is able to pick up their
child.
Scenario 4
An administrator at
Helena High regularly takes the HATS fixed route to work. The administrator
becomes ill during work and receives a ride home from a designated coworker.
There are many options to satisfy the assurance of a
guaranteed ride home. Potential options: cab vouchers, HATS tokens[2],
a shared vehicle, a shuttle, a designated employee able to provide a ride, a
rental car, etc.
Complimentary Programs: TAWSE, employer incentives for health
and wellness, and a bonus for reduced parking in new developments
Potential Partners: Helena Chamber of Commerce, MBAC, Large
Employers, and Lewis and Clark County Green Team
Additional resources include:
-“Guaranteed Ride Home Programs: Giving Peace of Mind to
Commuters”
-“Guaranteed Ride Home Program Handbook”
-“iCommute Guaranteed Ride Home: Never be Stranded”
[1] HATS (Helena
Area Transit Service) tokens are single use vouchers that grant the bearer are
ride on the bus.
[2] “Guaranteed
Ride Home Programs: Giving Peace of Mind to Commuters.” Joblinks Employment
Transportation Initiative. March
2009.
