CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

RVICES THAT SUPPORT
PLEMENTATION

Regional Organizations, Local Governments,
and Transit Agencies

Many regional organizations, such as metropoli-
tan planning organizations (MPOs) and rideshare
groups, administer their own guaranteed ride
home programs. If they do not sponsor programs
directly, they may also be good sources of infor-
mation to employers about other programs, or
offer assistance to employers in setting up their
own. For example, the Chicago Area
Transportation Study (CATS), the MPO for the
Chicago area, reimburses company guaranteed
ride home program start-up costs for employers
who participate in their rideshare program. (Vick,
2001)

Local governments (cities or counties) may
administer guaranteed ride home programs for
persons who either live or work in their jurisdic-
tions. Transit agencies may also sponsor guaran-
teed ride home programs for their riders (often
limited to monthly passholders).

Publicity

Guaranteed ride home programs are generally
considered a support program for broader transit
and car/vanpool programs. Because such pro-
grams are not used on a daily basis, it is impor-
tant that employers ensure that their employees
are well-informed of this program. Options for
marketing the program include new employee
orientation, promotional posters and flyers, e-
mail or voicemail broadcast, and promotional
days for commute programs. Information on
guaranteed ride programs should be included in
all company literature on commuter benefits.

fAssocrarions AND CONTACTS

This section provides information on contacts
that EPA and regional, state, and local govern-

ments might wish to utilize for expertise in
understanding, promoting, or providing technical
information on guaranteed ride home programs.
Individual employers are advised to contact their
local MPOs, transit agencies, TMAs, or rideshare
groups to learn about existing programs.

Information Clearinghouses

Association for Commuter Transportation
P.O. Box 15542

Washington, DC 20003

Tel: 202-393-3497

Fax: 202-546-2196

Act@act-hq.com
www.ACTweb.org

The Association for Commuter Transportation
(ACT) is a membership organization that pro-
motes commuter choice and transportation
demand management. They sponsor annual con-
ferences on commuting, and publish educational
materials for employers.

National Transportation Demand Management
(TDM) and Telework Clearinghouse

National Center for Transit Research
University of South Florida

4202 E. Fowler Avenue

CUT100

Tampa, FL 33620-5375

Tel: 813-974-3120

www.nctr.usf.edu/clearinghouse

The National TDM and Telework Clearinghouse
is a compendium of research and information on
TDM and telecommuting. TDM refers to a set of
programs and policies that are designed to make
the best use of existing transportation resources
without additional infrastructure investment.
Much of the Clearinghouse information is avail-
able electronically. The web site contains infor-
mation for employers interested in establishing
trip reduction programs and commuter benefits.



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

Finally, the employer should determine what
internal controls are needed. These could include
supervisory approval of emergencies (including
unscheduled overtime), allowing only the ETC or
other program administrator to handle vouchers
or call taxi/rental car companies, and tracking the
number of rides requested per employee.

6) Publicize and implement the program.

Employers should use whatever channels they nor-
mally use to inform employees about a new bene-
fit to publicize the guaranteed ride home program.
Publicity about the program should include infor-
mation on how to register, eligibility, and availabil-
ity. The CCLI contact can assist employers in pub-
licizing the guaranteed ride home program.

2) Maintain the program.

Although the low usage of guaranteed ride home
programs means that it should be relatively easy
to maintain the program, the following tasks may
still need attention on a periodic basis:

© Meet with taxi and rental car companies to
discuss any billing or usage issues;

e Publicize program to employees (because
employees use the service infrequently, they
may forget about its availability);

© Update registration lists;

e If employee transportation surveys are done
regularly, add questions about guaranteed ride
home programs.

EMPLOYER QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS .

The following questions might commonly be
asked by an employer (e.g., a human resources
benefits specialist or ETC) interested in imple-
menting or signing up for a guaranteed ride home
program.

Question: How difficult - and costly - is it to
administer the program?

This depends of course on who administers the
program: the employer, or an outside agency such
as a TMA. The easiest programs for employers
are those in which employees enroll with the
provider directly, thus incurring no cost or admin-
istration to the employer. For TMA-run programs,
the employer usually has to designate an
Employee Transportation Coordinator to be a liai-
son with the TMA. In some cases, the ETC's
responsibilities would involve issuing vouchers,
contacting transportation providers, and tracking
employee usage of the program. In other cases,
however, the guaranteed ride home program is
run directly by the TMA and the ETC is very
minimally involved.

For an employer-based program, administration
would generally involve writing guidelines, track-
ing employee registration for the program, dis-
tributing vouchers, arranging rides, and paying
invoices. At all companies surveyed, these duties
were generally combined with other employee
transportation responsibilities (such as carpool
registration and transit/vanpool benefits).

Question: What are the cost implications of
implementing a guaranteed ride home program
for my company?

Programs run by outside organizations for
employees, such as rideshare organizations and
transit agencies, would incur no cost to the
employer. Membership in a TMA would usually
incur a flat annual fee that could vary between
$50 and $5,000 and up, depending on the size of
the business. However, this fee would cover other
commute-related services, not only guaranteed
ride home programs. There would generally be
no additional fees charged for use by employees
of the guaranteed ride home program.



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

‘Location Area Cover Supporting Agency ‘Type of Agency | Phone Web Site Program
Restrictions
Delaware TMA Delaware (RideShare | TMA 302-658-9001 | www.mance.org/i
Delaware) ndex.htm
Delaware County, Delaware County TMA. TMA 610-892-9440 wwwiibertynet.org,
PA Hdctma/
Denver, CO Ride Arrangers/RTD Transit Agency —_| 303-299-2132 wwwatd-
denver.com/
Grand Rapids, MI Interurban Transit Transit Agency | 616-774-1188 | wwwegrataorg/bts/
Partnership grh.htm
Hudson County, NJ ‘Hudson TMA TMA 201-432-2200 | wow.hudsontma.o
refindex.php3
Kansas City, MO Kansas City Area Transit Agency | 816-346-0274 | 216.212.17.155/tri
‘Transportation Authority P_program.htm
Mercer County, NJ Greater Mercer TMA. TMA 609-452-8988 | www.gmtmaorg/
Miami, FL Miami Beach Miami Beach TMA, TMA 305-535-9160
Miami, FL ‘airport area Airport West TMA 954-714-4044
‘Transportation x234
Management Initiative
Miami, FL Civic Center TMA 305-243-2321
‘Transportation
Management Organization
‘Miami, FL Downtown Transportation | TMA 800-234-RIDE
Management Initiative
Middlesex County, Keep Middlesex Moving | TMA 732-745-4490 | www.ntac.com/~k
NJ mm/
Minneapolis/St. metro region Metro Council ‘MPO/ Transit 651-602-1602 | www.metrocom-
Paul, MN (7 counties) Agency muterservices.org/i
ndex.asp
Missoula / Ravalli Missoula Ravalli TMA TMA 406-523-4944 | www.mrtma.org/
Counties, MT.
‘Nashville, TN Regional Transportation _ | MPO/ Transit 615-862-8833 werwrta~
‘Authority Agency ride.org/ridehomele
idepolicy.htm
‘New York City, NY ‘CommuterLink TMA 718-886-1343 | www.commuter-
link.com/guaran-
teed_tide_home-ht
ml.
New York City, NY ‘Metropolitan Transit Agency | 800-METROIN- | wwwamtanyeny.u
Transportation Authority FO. s/mnr/html/guaran-
‘teed/guaranteed ht
m
Phoenix, AZ Valley Metro RPTA Transit Agency — | 602-262-7433 | wwwval-
leymetro.marico-
pa.gov/vanpool-
faq html
Pittsburgh, PA downtown Pittsburgh Downtown, TMA 412-566-4190 | wwweealpitts-
Partnership TMA. burgh.com/com-
‘munity/yourtown/
downtownpgh/tran
sportation.html
Pittsburgh, PA ‘Airport area Airport Corridor TMA ‘tin.clpgh.org/actal
‘Transportation Association membinfo.html

18



Commuter CHoice LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE
The National Standard of Excellence for Commuter Benefits

Disclaimer

EPA provides this briefing as a service to employers participating in the CCLI. Information about private
service providers is intended for informational purposes and does not imply endorsement by EPA or the
federal government.

The information presented here does not constitute official tax guidance or a ruling by the U.S.
Government. Taxpayers are urged to consult with the Internal Revenue Service of the U.S. Department of
Treasury or a tax professional for specific guidance related to the Federal tax law.



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

Transportation Management Associations,
Rideshare Programs, and Regional Programs

As discussed above, there are a large number of
existing guaranteed ride home programs, run by a
variety of entities. A selection of programs from
throughout the country is provided in the
Appendix. For more information on program
specifics, contact the agency directly. If an area is
not listed, the MPO for the region may offer
more assistance on locating appropriate pro-
grams. The appropriate MPO can be located
through the Association for Metropolitan
Planning Organizations (202-457-0710 x19);

a list of MPOs with web pages is available at
www.ampo.org/mposnet_old.html

Commuter Choice Leadership Initiative

For more information on the Commuter Choice
Leadership Initiative, contact the Commuter
Choice Hotline at 888-856-3131, or see
www.commuterchoice.gov

Q
‘

Employer-provided commuter benefits can be an
effective means of reducing vehicle travel and
associated problems: emissions of air pollutants
and greenhouse gases, traffic congestion, and
high parking demand. Guaranteed ride programs
do not by themselves produce substantial reduc-
tions in solo driving or vehicle miles traveled
(VMT). Rather, such programs support more
comprehensive transit and carpool programs by
providing a safety net in case employees are
unable to use transit or cat/vanpools on a particu-
lar day. Guaranteed ride home programs thus pro-
vide an answer to employees' questions about
what might happen if they are "stranded" at work
one day.

While the actual usage of such programs is small,
they play a role in reassuring potential transit,
carpool, and vanpool riders that they will be able

to get home in the event of an emergency. As a
result, guaranteed ride home program can play a
role in encouraging solo drivers to change modes.
According to a study conducted in Baltimore
(Urban Transport News, 1996) of a one-year pilot
program in guaranteed ride home programs, "27
percent of those who changed their commute
mode indicated that the availability of the guaran-
teed ride home program was important or very
important in their decision to shift to an HOV
(bigh occupancy vehicle) commute mode." The
same study also reported that 96 percent of users
were satisfied with the guaranteed ride home pro-
gram.

It is important to recognize, however, that guar-
anteed ride home programs work only where
other commuter programs are in place and where
employees have options to carpool, vanpool, and
take transit. According to a study of the region's
guaranteed ride home program conducted for the
Metropolitan Washington Council of
Governments (Metropolitan Washington Council
of Governments, 1999), "These results and other
survey results suggest that GRH is a useful serv-
ice and may have an influence on commute mode
decisions, but by itself it is not a deciding factor."

ics

Gonzalez, V. 2001. Personal communication.
Telephone conversation between Virginia
Gonzalez, Transportation Analyst, Kaiser
Permanente, and Liisa Ecola of ICF Consulting,
February 22, 2001.

Kenyon, A. 2001. Personal communication.
Telephone conversation between Alison Kenyon,
Commute Trip Reduction Coordinator, Avista
Corporation, and Liisa Ecola, ICF Consulting,
February 27, 2001.

McCoy, Dan. 2001. Personal communications.
Telephone conversation between Dan McCoy,
SMART Program Manager, and Liisa Ecola, ICF
Consulting, March 5, 2001.

15





CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

guaranteed ride programs in the country.
Employers that are located in areas not listed
below should contact the MPO for their

The table below lists some of the third-party region to determine if others exist.
Location Area Cover Supporting Agency ‘Type of Agency | Phone Web Site Program
Restrictions
Albany, NY Capital District Transit Agency | 845-453-2583 | wwwedta.org/swi
‘Transportation Authority perhtml
Albuquerque, NM City of Albuquerque ‘Transit Agency 505-843-9200, www.cabq.govitra
‘Transit Department nsit/grhl.html
Atlanta, GA Perimeter Transportation | TMA and
Coalition and Commuter _ | rideshare www-per
Connections (joint sponsor- 770-394-4540 | go.org/ridehome-ht
ship) micheat
Austin, TX Capital Metropolitan Transit Agency | 512-389-7400 | wwwcapmetro.aus
‘Transportation Authority tin.tx.us/serv_ride.
html
Boston, MA Longwood Commute Works/MASCO | TMA 617-632-2796 www.masscom-
Medical Area mute.convtmas/cw
orks/index htm.
Boston, MA Framingham, “MetroWest TMA TMA 508-879-5600 | wwwmasscom-
Hopkinton, mute.conv/tmas/me
Natick, trow/index htm
Westborough
Boston, MA Canton, ‘Neponset Valley TMA TMA 781-895-1100 | Wwwanasscom-
Norwood, mute.com/tmas/ne
Westwood ponset/index.htm
Boston, MA Bedford, North Suburban TMA TMA 781-895-1100 | Www.masscom-
Billerica, ‘mute.com/tmas/no
Burlington, rihsub/index him
‘Woburn
Boston, MA Artery Business Committee | TMA 617-557-7322, ‘www.masscom-
downtown we, nb
cfindex.btm
Boston, MA Lexington, 128 Business Council TMA 781-890-0093 | wwwmasscom-
Needham, mute.com/128be/
Newton,
Waltham,
Wellesley
Bucks County, PA Bucks County TMA TMA 215-781-9281 www.buckscoun-
tytma.org/
‘Cambridge, MA Charles River TMA, TMA 617-914-8081 | www.masscom-
mute.convimas/ind
exhtm
Chester County, PA TMA of Chester County | TMA 610-993-0911 | wwwmacc.org/
Chicago, IL Chicago Area MPO 312-793-3456 wwweatsmpo.com | Only for van-
‘Transportation Study ‘Aharefindex.htm — | pool users
Cincinnati, OH ‘Southwest Ohio Regional | 18st Agency |513-621-4455 | www.sortacom/ff- | Only for
‘Transit Authority emppass.ssi#Alter_ | members of
natives Preferred
‘Customer
Club
Contra Costa Contra Costa County Public consortium | 510-215-3035 ‘Wwww.traks.org/ine
County, CA Commute Alternative entive/guarantee/in
Network centive.html

17



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

Karen Mickley, Costco's Commute Trip and Front
Desk Manager, said that the average cost per ride
is between $45 and $65, and pointed out that the
average commute distance for carpool and van-
pool riders is 25 miles one-way. Use of the pro-
gram is limited to personal emergencies, and
there is an unpublicized limit of eight trips per
employees per year - unpublicized for fear that
employees may request more trips to reach that
limit.

When an employee needs a ride home, she (Ms.
Mickley noted that virtually all employees
requesting trips are women) contacts the coordi-
nator, who then gives the employee a taxi vouch-
er, The employee has the taxi driver sign the
voucher, and she returns it to the coordinator the
next day. The taxi company bills the company
monthly for rides. There is no formal contract
with the taxi company; they simply settled on
calling the taxi company that they found most
reliable.

Ms. Mickley said that there is very little employ-
ee abuse of the program. She did mention an inci-
dent where an employee was found to be stealing
vouchers from the coordinator and treating her-
self to cab rides home, so vouchers are now
under lock and key. In general, she said, employ-
ee response is very positive, and the program has
been in place for eight years.

Spokane, Washington - Avista Corporation

Avista, a utility company in Spokane, WA, offers
a guaranteed ride home program through its Fleet
Services department. Because the company
already owns 8 to 10 cars and a smaller number
of trucks for employee use (for example, to
attend meetings), they chose to use the same
resources for a guaranteed ride home program.
Avista set up its program in 1993 in response to
the commute trip reduction requirements imposed
by the state of Washington. Employees registered
in the Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) program
may request a guaranteed ride home in case of

personal emergency or unscheduled overtime.
Employees contact either the CTR coordinator,
the security guard, or the Fleet Services depart-
ment to request a ride. If a fleet car is available,
the employee will drive the car home and return
it the next day. A taxi ride is requested only if no
cars are available, or if the employee will not be
able to return the car.

Alison Kenyon, CTR Coordinator, did not have
separate costs available for the program, since
costs are covered through the Fleet Services
department. She noted that usage is quite low: of
1,000 employees, 350 are registered for the CTR
program, and in a typical year they provide 12 to
14 rides in fleet vehicles and another 2 via taxi.
She said that there have been no problems with
employee abuse of the program. The only minor
glitch she noted was that sometimes the same taxi
company provides rides to company employees
for other purposes, and the CTR program is
incorrectly billed.

Santa Monica, California - City of Santa Monica

The City of Santa Monica, in Southern
California, has an emergency ride home program.
for its approximately 1,500 employees. The pro-
gram uses its four pool vehicles for employee
transportation in case of personal emergencies;
employees drive the cars home and return them
the next day. In the event that the carpool driver
is unavailable, the employee transportation coor-
dinator uses the rideshare list to find other
employees in the same residential area to give the
"stranded" employee a ride. In a few cases, if
pool vehicles are unavailable the coordinator will
pay for a taxi (if the trip is under ten miles) or
rental car. Luis Morris, Transportation
Management Specialist, said that they use
Enterprise Rent-a-Car, because the company will
pick the employee up at the workplace.
Approximately 600 employees are enrolled as
rideshare or transit users, and the program pro-
vides between 10 and 12 rides per year.

12



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

Membership in a Transportation Management
Association

Although there are exceptions (see below), the
most common sponsors of guaranteed ride home
program are transportation management associa-
tions (TMAs). A TMA is generally a non-profit
membership organization made up of local busi-
nesses; employees at those member employers
are eligible for services provided by the TMA. In
addition to guaranteed ride home programs,
TMAs may also provide ridesharing matches,
vehicles for vanpools, shuttles, and other alterna-
tive commute incentives. Employer services may
include technical assistance in setting up work-
place programs, training for employer transporta-
tion coordinators, and marketing materials.

TMAs generally charge annual dues to members,
which vary with the size of the company. For
example, the Folsom Rancho Cordova El Dorado
TMA, in suburban Sacramento, CA, charges
between $50 and $1,800 per member, depending
on the number of employees. (A business of 100
employees would pay $500, while one with 1,000
employees would pay the top rate of $1,800.) The
Perimeter Transportation Coalition, in Atlanta,
GA, charges between $1,000 and $6,000, based
on a square footage calculation. Guaranteed ride
home services are generally covered by annual
dues, with no additional fees to the employer
when employees use the service.

With many TMA programs, the guaranteed ride
home is arranged through the employer's
Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC).
This is a designated position within a company
whose responsibilities would also include admin-
istration of transit/vanpool benefits and carpool
programs. So although the employer does not
incur any additional cost when employees utilize
the program, there may still be staff time
involved in making the arrangements. The
amount of time required will of course depend on
how many employees utilize the service, but each
use of the program would seem to require no

more than 15 to 20 minutes, including making
phone calls to the taxi company or handing out
the voucher.

In some programs, however, the employee
requesting the ride home deals with the TMA
directly. At the Artery Business Committee TMA,
which serves downtown Boston, employees who
are registered receive a voucher upon registration.
When they have used the voucher for either a taxi
tide or a rental car, they send a report to the TMA
directly. The taxi company or rental car agency
bills the TMA directly on a monthly basis.

There are over one hundred TMAs around the
country, generally in urban and suburban areas.
Some cover only very specific areas, such as an
airport or a highway corridor; others cover entire
counties. One starting place for locating TMAs or
other guaranteed ride home providers is the
Association for Commuter Transportation (202-
393-3497). This paper also includes a list of
selected TMAs in major metropolitan areas;
please see the Associations and Contacts section.

Other Existing Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

Programs offered by non-TMA providers may
allow employees to benefit from a guaranteed
tide home with minimal involvement on the
employer's part. Transit agency programs are gen-
erally available to monthly passholders only, so
employees who carpool would not be eligible. On
the other hand, programs offered by rideshare
organizations are generally available only to car/
vanpoolers registered with the organization, not
to transit patrons. Rideshare organizations, like
TMAs, are non-profit associations, but they are
generally supported through regional funding, not
memberships. Their primary purpose is to match
up potential car/vanpoolers.

Finally, some MPOs offer guaranteed ride home
programs. One example is the Commuter
Connections program, a service of the Metropolitan
Washington Council of Governments.



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

Guaranteed ride home programs (also called
emergency ride home programs) are programs
through which employees who use transit or ride
with carpools or vanpools may receive free trans-
portation home in the event of an emergency.
(Guaranteed ride home programs can also cover
employees who walk or bicycle, although these
persons are less likely to need access to rides.)
Many employees cite their concerns about being
stranded at work as a reason for not using transit
or car/vanpools. Guaranteed ride home programs
can alleviate these concerns by providing the
security of knowing that a ride will be available
in the event of an emergency.

Guaranteed ride home programs are generally
administered by one of five entities:

1. Transportation Management Associations
(TMAs). TMAs are generally business mem-
bership organizations that provide assistance
to employers regarding transportation and
commuting. Employers who are members of
TMAs receive assistance in implementing
tideshare and other programs, and employees
at those companies are generally eligible for
TMA services such as guaranteed ride home
programs.

2. Rideshare groups. Rideshare groups are usual-
ly non-profit groups that encourage carpooling
and vanpooling by providing commuters with
information on vanpool programs and poten-
tial carpool partners. They may also be run by
public agencies, most typically Metropolitan
Planning Organizations (MPOs).

3. Transit agencies. Transit agencies may offer
guaranteed ride home programs to their riders.
Generally these guaranteed ride home pro-
grams are restricted to monthly passholders,
and are not available to occasional riders.

4. Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs).
MPOs are public agencies that are responsible
for regional transportation planning. They are
generally composed of member jurisdictions
(cities and counties) but have their own pro-
fessional staff. In some metropolitan areas, the
MPO provides transit and rideshare services
and guaranteed ride home programs on a
regional basis.

5. Individual employers. Some individual
employers - generally large employers -
implement guaranteed ride home programs for
their own employees. In areas with air quality
problems, the state or region may require
employers over a certain size to implement
trip reduction programs. Guaranteed ride
home programs are one of a number of meas-
ures to reduce the number of employees who
commute via single-occupant vehicle.

Guaranteed ride home programs allow employees
to request same-day transportation home from
their workplace. Transportation is generally pro-
vided by taxi, although some programs allow
employees who live over a certain distance away
to rent cars. Transportation costs may be paid by
the program directly, or reimbursed to employees
at a later date. There are generally restrictions
placed on the number of times employees may
use the service and the trip purposes (for exam-
ple, most programs do not allow employees to
request rides in the case of appointments or over-
time scheduled in advance).

Guaranteed ride home programs are a required
component of the Commuter Choice Leadership
Initiative (CCLI). Participating employers may
either institute their own programs, sign up for
TMA-sponsored programs, or provide informa-
tion about regional programs.



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

iTable of Contents _

GUARANTEED RIDE HOME PROGRAMS:
ASUMMARY ..

EMPLOYER BENEFITS...

INCREASED EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION.
LONG-TERM COST SAVINGS...

TAX CONSIDERATIONS ....sssssssssseee

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS...

WHEN GUARANTEED RIDE HOME
PROGRAMS MAKE SENSE.

LOCATIONS WITH EMPLOYEE COMMUTE
PROGRAMS,

LOCATIONS WITHOUT PRE-EXISTING PROGRAM:
LOCATIONS WITH LIMITED TRANSIT ACCESS
OUTSIDE OF NORMAL COMMUTE HOURS...
LOCATIONS THAT EMPLOY LOWER-INCOME
WORKERS.

LOCATIONS THAT EMPLOY PARENTS

IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES AND COSTS...

MEMBERSHIP IN A TRANSPORTATION
MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION...

OTHER EXISTING GUARANTEED RIDE HOME
PROGRAMS...

ISSUES IN ESTABLISHING AN EMPLOYER-BASED
GUARANTEED RIDE HOME PROGRAM.
MARKETING THE PROGRAM..

COSTS
GUIDE TO IMPLEMENTATIO!

EMPLOYER QUESTIONS AND ANSWERB.......8

QUESTION: HOW DIFFICULT - AND COSTLY - IS IT

TO ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM? ae
QUESTION: WHAT ARE THE COST IMPLICATIONS OF
IMPLEMENTING A GUARANTEED RIDE HOME
PROGRAM FOR MY COMPANY?

QUESTION: WHAT TYPES OF RESTRICTIONS SHOULD
BE PLACED ON A GUARANTEED RIDE HOME

PROGRAM TO ENSURE THAT EMPLOYEES DO NOT
ABUSE THE PRIVILEGE? ..

QUESTION: EVEN WITH PROGRAM RESTRICTIONS

IN PLACE, THERE STILL SEEMS TO BE POTENTIAL

FOR FRAUD. WHAT EXPERIENCES HAVE OTHER
WORKPLACES HAD WITH ABUSE OF GUARANTEED RIDE
HOME PROGRAMS?.......

QUESTION: DO GUARANTEED RIDE HOME PROGRAMS
REALLY WORK IN CONVINCING EMPLOYEES TO

STOP DRIVING ALONE?... 10

QUESTION: HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN I EXPECT TO
USE THE SERVICE?....

QUESTION: WHAT IF THE GUARANTEED RIDE HOME
DOES NOT ARRIVE IN A TIMELY FASHION? CAN I

BE HELD LIABLE?... 210
QUESTION: WHAT ARE THE BEST WAYS TO PROMOTE
GUARANTEED RIDE HOME PROGRAM ?... 10
QUESTION: DO ANY STATE OR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
OFFER ANY INCENTIVES FOR DOING THIS? ... veeee

EMPLOYER CASE STUDIES...
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA AND VICINITY -
KAISER PERMANENTE ..
ISSAQUAH, WASHINGTON - COSTCO CORPORATE OFFICE
12
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON - AVISTA CORPORATION

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA - CITY OF SANTA.
MONICA...

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - UNITED STATES
AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION...

PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA - SUN MICROSYSTEMS ..

SERVICES THAT SUPPORT

IMPLEMENTATION .........secsseees
REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS, AND TRANSIT AGENCIES ..
PUBLICITY...

ASSOCIATIONS AND CONTACTS

INFORMATION CLEARINGHOUSES.....
TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATIONS,
RIDESHARE PROGRAMS, AND REGIONAL
PROGRAMS ..

EMISSIONS AND TRANSPORTATION
BENEFITS.

REFERENCES AND PUBLICATIONG..........0015

APPENDIX: THIRD-PARTY GUARANTEED
RIDE HOME PROGRAMS



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

Mr. Morris indicated that there are no problems
with fraud, although there is no fixed maximum.
number of rides allotted per year. He said that the
program is publicized through a quarterly
rideshare newsletter, e-mail announcements, new
employee orientation, and word of mouth.
Because more rides are provided through city-
owned vehicles, there are no separate cost figures
for the program; taxi costs are generally $25 to
$30 per ride.

San Antonio, Texas - United States Automobile
Association

The United States Automobile Association
(USAA), an insurance and financial services
company, has an emergency ride home program
at its San Antonio headquarters. (For legal rea-
sons, USAA prefers this name over "guaranteed"
ride home.) The program is open only to partici-
pants in USAA's extensive vanpool program, not
employees who ride transit or bicycle. Chris
Treutler, Director of Vehicle Operations and
Maintenance, explained that all costs are charged.
to the vanpool program, and that vanpool riders
pay into the program to ensure that it remains
financially self-sufficient.

The program currently has 825 employees regis-
tered, of a total on-site workforce of 15,000.
Employees must have certification from either the
USAA clinic, in the case of personal illness or
family emergency, or their supervisor, in the rare
case of unscheduled overtime. (Mr. Treutler said
that they try to discourage use for overtime work,
but will allow it with a supervisor's request.) The
vanpool coordinator then arranges for a USAA
fleet driver to bring the employee home. If no
driver is available, the coordinator will call a taxi.
The taxi dispatcher is given the employee's num-
ber, and sends a bill to USAA. The employee
does not use a voucher.

Mr. Treutler said that the emergency ride home
program costs are part of the annual $500,000
vanpool costs. The average ride costs about $25

to provide with USAA drivers, more with taxi
rides. In an average month, between 20 and 25
employees request rides home. Mr. Treutler said
that they do not have any problems with employ-
ee abuse of the program, largely because of their
tight internal controls. He also noted that they do
not have an official limit on the number of times
an employee may use the program in a year,
although a pattern of frequent use would be
investigated.

Palo Alto, California - Sun Microsystems

Sun Microsystems, a manufacturer of computer
equipment, has a guaranteed ride program for its
14,000 employees. The program affects employ-
ees at 30 to 40 sites in the San Francisco Bay
Area, mostly on the San Mateo Peninsula.
According to Dan McCoy, SMART Program
Manager, the program provides approximately 5
to 7 rides per month. Employees are limited to 4
tides per year, with a limit of 100 miles. The pro-
gram has a budget of $1,000 per year.

If an employee needs a ride home, s/he contacts
the front desk attendant in that building for a taxi
voucher. Sun has an arrangement with one taxi
company to provide rides. If the lobby is not
staffed and the employee cannot obtain a vouch-
er, s/he can file for reimbursement. The taxi com-
pany bills Sun on a monthly basis.

The main problem with the program has been that
employees are not always able to obtain vouch-
ers; Mr. McCoy estimated that this happens about
20 percent of the time. He attributed this to the
fact that the program was understaffed for some
time, and therefore some of the front desk per-
sonnel were unfamiliar with it. However, he plans
to begin a marketing campaign to both inform
employees and train staff.

Mr. McCoy is a contractor who spends 15 hours
per week on the SMART program; there is also a
permanent staff of 1.5 full-time equivalent (FTE)
employees.



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

Locations with Employee Commute Programs

In general, guaranteed ride home programs are
implemented as part of a package of employee
commuter benefits, not as a stand-alone benefit.
Guaranteed ride home programs could be used to
augment car/vanpool programs, to ensure that
passengers who have emergencies or whose driv-
ers have emergencies would still have a way
home.

Locations without Pre-Existing Programs

Because of the broad range of services offered by
TMAs, rideshares, and transit agencies, employ-
ers are advised to investigate these options before
setting up their own programs. If a TMA can
administer a program and provide other com-
mauter benefits to employees, it may make sense
to join the TMA.

Locations with Limited Transit Access Outside
of Normal Commute Hours

The main justification for guaranteed ride home
programs is that there is little or no transit access
available in the event of an employee emergency.
Workplaces that are well-served by transit during
commute hours, but poorly served during the
daytime or evening hours (for example, express
bus service that runs at 10-minute intervals dur-
ing the morning and evening peak hours but only
every 90 minutes during the day) would be excel-
lent candidates for such programs. In dense urban
areas with frequent services throughout the day
and into the evening, such programs would be
difficult to justify, since the employees would not
be stranded in the event of an emergency.

Locations that Employ Lower-Income Workers

While higher-income workers may not be greatly
inconvenienced by the need to take a taxi home
from work occasionally, lower-income workers
may find such an expense out of their financial
reach. A guaranteed ride home program would

allow supervisors more flexibility in requesting
such employees to work overtime, as well as pro-
vide reassurance to employees that their trans-
portation needs are important. Even in offices
that consist largely of well-paid workers, there
may be sufficient support staff working at lower
wages who would greatly benefit from such a

program.

In addition, a recent study of welfare-to-work
policies recommends the adoption of guaranteed
ride home policies as one of several support
strategies to assist low-income workers with what
are often long commutes from urban residences
to suburban job centers. (Ong, et al, 1998)

Locations that Employ Parents

Many employees are less concerned with trans-
portation for their own needs that they are with
transportation to reach children in schools or
child care should a problem arise. This would be
an excellent benefit to implement at a "family-
friendly" workplace, because it gives employees
with children a means to reach them during the
day in the event of an emergency.

Implementation issues vary depending on
whether there is a pre-existing guaranteed ride
home program in the employer's area. Pre-exist-
ing programs fall into two categories: those in
which the employee can register directly with the
provider, and those for which the employer must
be a member of the TMA for employees to be eli-
gible. If the employee can register directly with
the provider, the employer's involvement will be
minimal, limited perhaps to publicizing the pro-
gram within the company. If the employer must
be a member of a TMA or other organization, the
employer's involvement will be greater.



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

Location Area Cover Supporting Agency ‘Type of Agency | Phone Web Site Program
Restrictions
Pittsburgh, PA Oakland TMA TMA 412-687-4505 | wwwpittedu/%7E
otma/
Portland, OR ‘Airport area Columbia Corridor TMA 503-281-6850
Association TMA
Portland, OR Lloyd District | Lloyd District TMA TMA 303-236-6441 _ | wwwldima.com/
Portland, OR Tualatin Tualatin TMA TMA “503-692-0780 | wwwaualatincham-
ber.com/tma.htm
Portland, OR Swan Island ‘Swan Island TMA. TMA 503-745-6563
Portland, OR Westside Transportation | TMA 503-617-4844 | Www-wta-tma.org/
Alliance
Sacramento, CA ‘South Natomas TMA, TMA 916-646-0928 | Wwwsouth-
natomastma.org/ab_
out.htm
Sacramento, CA ‘Sacramento TMA TMA 916-441-7074 | wwwsacramento-
‘tma.org/app-
gxb.html
‘Sacramento, CA Folsom Rancho Cordova El | TMA 916-351-3975 | wwwiedimaorg/m
Dorado TMA cemberbenefits html
San Francisco, CA _ | downtown "TMA of San Francisco TMA 415-392-0210 | wwwamastorg
San Mateo County, Peninsula Traffic Public/non-profit | 650-994-7924 | Wwwcommute.org/
cA Congestion Relief Alliance | Joint Powers
Association
‘Santa Clara County, Valley Transportation Transit Agency | 408-321-7544 | www.via.orgjeco- | Only for
CA Authority pass/ecopass_corp/ | EcoPass holders
epridehome.htm!
Santa Rosa, CA. City of Santa Rosa Municipality 707-543-3325 | wwwnte.ca.govip
ublications/sono-
matteed.html
Seattle, WA suburban area Kitsap Transit Transit Agency | 800-501-RIDE _| www-kitsaptran-
sit.org/gth. html
Somerset, NJ RideWise of Raritan Valley | TMA 908-704-1011 | www-tidewise.org/ti
deshare/eriverh htm
St. Louis, MO Citizens for Modern Advocacy 314.231-7272 | Wwwemt-
Transit Organization storglclean/grh htm!
Bay Area Commuter TMA 800-998-RIDE | Wwwoutrengusfe
Tampa Bay, FL Services duresearch/erh htm
Vermont and New “Upper Valley Rideshare _| Rideshare 802-295-1824 | wwwupperval-
Hampshire PP y leyrideshare.com//
uvisgrh.himl
Washington, DC | Metro area Metropolitan Washington | MPO 800-745-RIDE | www.mweogorg/e
Council of Governments ‘ommuter/Bdy-
Grh.html

19



United States Air and Radiation EPA 420-S-01-002
Ss SEPA Environmental Protection Transportation and Air Quality September 2001

Guaranteed Ride
‘Home Programs:

Implementing Commuter
Benefits Under the
Commuter Choice

Leadership Initiative



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

Marketing the Program

To ensure that the program achieves its goal -
increasing the number of employees who do not
commute by single occupant vehicle - employees
must be aware of its existence and know how to
use it. Getting the word out to employees is not
always easy. According to a survey done by
RIDES for Bay Area Commuters as part of their
Commute Profile 2000: A Survey of Bay Area
Commute Patterns, most commuters were not
aware of county-wide guaranteed ride home pro-
grams. In three Bay Area counties (Alameda,
Contra Costa, and Santa Clara), only 11 to 13.5%
of employees surveyed were aware of such pro-
grams. (RIDES, 2000) One challenge is that by
its nature, employees do not utilize the program
often, so they may forget that it is available.

Costs

In general, guaranteed ride home programs are rela-
tively low-cost, both in terms of direct (taxi or
rental car payments) and indirect (staff time) costs.

Direct costs to the employers for providing guar-
anteed rides home depend on the number of trips
taken and the costs per trip, in addition to admin-
istrative costs. In a one-year study done in
Baltimore from 1992 to 1993 (Urban Transport
News, 1996), the average cost per trip was
$31.91, which included both taxi and rental car
trips. Participation rose from 241 participants to
732 over the course of the program, and partici-
pation rates were quoted as being roughly one-
quarter of all eligible employees.' Over the year,
employees requested 287 total trips (each
employee had been allowed 10 trips each). The
total cost for the program was $9,158 for the
year.

' The study did not indicate whether the one-quarter
participation rate reflected conditions at the beginning
or the end of the study, during which participation rose
200 percent.

Commuter Connections, a regional program in
the Washington, DC metropolitan area, provides
another example. For FY 2000 there were 1,740
trips requested and a total cost of $78,107, for an
average cost per trip of $45. The program has
over 16,000 persons registered, meaning that
approximately one in seven registrants requested
one ride during the course of the year.’

IvpLeMENTATION

An employer would go through several steps to
implement a guaranteed ride home program.
Although these would vary from employer to
employer, the main ones are outlined below.

I) Determine whether there is an existing
guaranteed ride home program in the area.

As noted earlier, there are a large number of
guaranteed ride home programs that are adminis-
tered by TMAs, rideshare groups, transit agen-
cies, or MPOs. An employer should identify and
investigate these programs to determine the pro-
gram terms, potential costs, and employee eligi-
bility. A partial list is included in Appendix A.

2) If there is an existing program, determine
whether it fits employer needs and budget.

Although there may be an existing guaranteed
ride home program, it may not fill the employer's
needs, for several reasons:

e Aprogram may not cover all employees (for
example, a transit agency program that would.
not include car/vanpoolers).

A program may be too expensive for the
employer (for example, TMA dues may be
too high for the employer's budget).

? Figures provided by Nicholas Ramfos, Chief of

Alternative Commute Programs for the Metropolitan
Washington Council of Governments.



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

Eligibility is limited to persons working within
the Washington, DC metropolitan area (defined as
nine counties and the District of Columbia).
Potential users must register in advance.

Issues in Establishing an Employer-Based
Guaranteed Ride Home Program

Any guaranteed ride home program needs to
address a variety of implementation concerns.

Eligibility. Many programs specify that only
employees who use alternative commute modes
(transit, carpools, vanpools, bicycling, and/or
walking) over a certain number of days per week.
are eligible. Others simply state that any employ-
ee who has used an alternative commute mode on
a particular day is eligible.

Taxis, Rental Cars, or Other Means of
Transportation. Most guaranteed ride home pro-
grams operate via arrangements with taxi compa-
nies. Some programs allow for employees to rent
cars if they live over a certain distance away from
work, and some employers allow employees to
use company cars or vans, either by themselves
or with a driver.

Payment Arrangements. There are two main ways
that guaranteed ride home programs pay for trans-
portation: vouchers issued to employees, and reim-
bursement. Program administrators must arrange in
advance for vouchers to be accepted by certain
transportation providers, which means that employ-
ees can use only certain taxi companies. Some pro-
grams include driver tips; others specify that tips
must be covered by the employee. In some pro-
grams, vouchers are distributed to employees in
advance, to be used at any time; in others, the
employee requests a voucher from the ETC. Under
reimbursement programs, employees front the
money to the driver or rental car company, then file
for reimbursement with the program administrator.
This type of arrangement may represent a hardship
to low-income employees, who may not have
enough cash to pay a taxi driver for a lengthy ride.

Allowable Destinations. Most programs allow
employees to go to other locations besides their
home; for example, a program may allow an
employee to pick up a sick child at school and
then continue home. Program guidelines should
specify if taxis will wait for employees under
such circumstances, and whether employees must
pay for any additional expenses incurred if they
do not travel directly home. A program might
also provide a ride to a transit station in certain
cases (for example, if a connector bus does not
run during the day, but the employee can get
home via rail, the program could bring the
employee directly to the rail station).

Distance. Many programs specify limits on either
the distance to be traveled or the amount of pay-
ment to be incurred. Some include not distance in
miles, but specify that only locations within cer-
tain cities or counties will be served.

Program Restrictions. Because of the potential
for abuse of guaranteed ride home, all programs
surveyed place some restrictions on their use.
Common restrictions include the following:

1. Employees may request no more than a fixed.
number of rides per period (a common policy
is two per month or six per year).

2. Employees must be pre-registered. This is gen-
erally to ensure that only employees who regu-
larly utilize alternative commute modes may
apply for guaranteed ride home.

3. Only certain trip purposes may be used to
request a guaranteed ride home. Generally,
medical emergencies (employee or close family
member), unscheduled overtime, and car/van-
pool problems (i.e., the driver has to work late
and the passenger is stranded) are the main rea-
sons for allowing an employee to request a
guaranteed ride home. Most programs
do not allow trips for medical appointments
and scheduled overtime. In cases of unsched-
uled overtime, a supervisor's approval is often
required.



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

: EMPLOYER BENEFITS :

The main benefit to businesses in offering guaranteed
ride home programs is that they can strengthen
other commuter benefits by eliminating a common
objection to riding transit or car/vanpools. A business
can benefit by offering guaranteed ride programs in
several ways.

Increased Employee Satisfaction

Employee reaction to guaranteed ride home pro-
grams is generally positive. The ability to get a
ride home in the event of an emergency lessens
employee objections to being without a car during
the day. The ability to commute via transit or
car/vanpool worry-free can lead to:

Lower employee commute stress

Lower commuting costs for employees
Additional choices for employees

Heightened employee appreciation of employer

These positive attributes, in turn, can improve
employee morale and make an organization a
more desirable place to work, which can:

e Reduce employee absenteeism
e Reduce employee turnover
e Support recruiting and retention goals

Long-Term Cost Savings

Although implementing or joining guaranteed
tide home programs does incur some costs to the
employer, there may be long-term cost reductions
associated with the reduced need for parking. Ifa
significant number of employees begin using
transit or car/vanpools, the number of parking
spaces may be reduced. Parking is expensive to
build or lease, particularly in urban areas. If guar-
anteed ride home programs help encourage a
decrease in solo driving, the need to construct or
lease parking may be reduced. In addition,

improved employee morale can lead to long-term
savings in recruitment and retention costs.

ET Ax CONSIDERATIONS

There are no direct federal tax consequences to
implementing guaranteed ride home programs.

Some states have tax incentives for implementing
commuter benefit programs. For example, the
Maryland Commuter Benefits Act of 2000 gives
employers a tax credit for instituting guaranteed
ride home programs. Employers may take a tax
credit of 50% of the cost of providing a guaran-
teed ride home, up to $30 per employee per
month. The credit may be applied towards the
state income tax, financial institution franchise
tax, or insurance premiums tax. If the employer
provides a number of different eligible benefits,
the total maximum credit per month is $30 per
employee.

Most state programs that address commuter benefits
consider transit/vanpool benefits, not guaranteed
ride home programs. A fuller discussion of these
programs is contained under Employer Questions
and Answers.

ELON

Employees benefit from guaranteed ride home
programs in that they can use transit or car/vanpools
without fear of being stranded at work in the
event of an emergency. This peace of mind makes
many employees more likely to utilize alternative
commute modes.

Although guaranteed ride home programs can be
offered in any area where employees use transit,
carpools, or vanpools, there are several conditions
that make such programs practical for an employer:



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

Metropolitan Washington Council of
Governments. 2000. FY 2001 Work Program for
the Commuter Connections Program for the
Greater Washington Metropolitan Region. March.

Metropolitan Washington Council of
Governments. 1999. Transportation Emission
Reduction Measure (TERM) Analysis Report.
September.

Mickley, K. 2001. Personal communication.
Telephone conversation between Karen Mickley,
Commute Trip and Front Desk Manager, Costco
Corporate Office, and Liisa Ecola of ICF
Consulting, February 22, 2001.

Morris, L. 2001. Personal communication.
Telephone conversation between Luis Morris,
Transportation Management Specialist, City of
Santa Monica, and Liisa Ecola of ICF Consulting,
February 22, 2001.

Ong, P. and E. Blumenberg. 1998. "Job access,
commute and travel burden among welfare recipi-
ents." Urban Studies, v35, nl, p77(17). January.

Perimeter Transportation Coalition web site,
available at www.perimetergo.org/ridehome.htm

RIDES for Bay Area Commuters. 2000.
Commute Profile 2000: A Survey of Bay Area
Commute Patterns, available at
www.rides.org/cp00/execsum.shtml

Straus, D. 2001. Personal communication.
Telephone conversation between David Straus,
Commute Services Manager at the Artery
Business Committee Transportation Management
Association and Liisa Ecola of ICF Consulting,
February 23, 2001.

Treutler, C. 2001. Personal communication.
Telephone conversation between Chris Treutler,
Director of Vehicle Operations and Maintenance,
USAA, and Liisa Ecola of ICF Consulting,
February 22, 2001.

Urban Transport News. 1996. "Guaranteed
Ride Home Program Incentive for Mass Transit."
v24, n4. February.

Vick, T. 2001. Personal communication.
Telephone conversation between Thomas Vick,
Director of Transportation Management, Chicago
Area Transportation Study, and Liisa Ecola of
ICF Consulting, February 27, 2001.

16



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Phone: (800) 490-9198, Fax: (513) 489-8695

| For More INFORMATION

This guidance document and other information about the Commuter Choice Leadership Initiative are availabl
at www.commuterchoice.gov or by calling the Commuter Choice voicemail request line at (888) 856-3131.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This document was prepared for EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality under contract 68-W6-0029, by
Michael Grant and Liisa Ecola of ICF Consutting, 9300 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 22031, (703) 934-3000.

We would like to thank the various reviewers who provided comments and feedback on the document.

Renycled/Recytabe, Printed with Vegetable Based Inks on Recycled Paper (Minimum 50% Postconsume) Process Chri Free



CommuTER CHOICE LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE
The National Standard of Excellence for Commuter Benefits

This document is one in a series of Commuter Choice Leadership Initiative briefing papers designed to help
employers implement commuter benefits.

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
have established a voluntary National Standard of Excellence for employer-provided commuter benefits.
Commuter benefits help American workers get to and from work in ways that cut air pollution and global
warming pollution, improve public health, improve employee recruiting and retention, improve employee
job satisfaction, and reduce expenses and taxes for employers and employees. Participants in the
Commuter Choice Leadership Initiative (CCLI) agree to meet the National Standard of Excellence, and
qualify as Commuter ChoiceTM Employers. CCLI participants agree to:

* Centralize commute options information so that it is easy for employees to access and use;
e Promote the availability of commuter benefits to employees;

e Provide access to a guaranteed ride home program;

e Provide one or more of the following primary commuter benefits:

v Vanpool or transit benefits of at least $32.50 per month

v Parking cash out of at least $32.50 per month

v Telecommuting program that averages six percent of daily work force
v Other option proposed by employer and agreed to by EPA

e Provide three or more of the following additional commuter benefits:

”_ Ridesharing/carpool matching v¥ Employee commuting awards programs
Y  Pre-tax transit/vanpool benefits v  Discounts/coupons for bicycles and walking shoes
¥ Shuttles from transit station ¥ Compressed work schedules
Y Parking at park-and-ride lots v Telecommuting
¥ Provision of real-time transit information v Lunchtime shuttle
v Preferred parking for ridesharers v¥  Proximate commute (working closer to home)
¥ Reduced parking costs for ridesharers ¥ Incentives to encourage employees to live closer to work
¥  Employer-sponsored vanpool or subscription bus ¥ On-site amenities (dry cleaning, etc.)
Programs ¥ Concierge services
v Employer assisted vanpools ¥ Active membership in a Transportation Management
v Secured bicycle parking, showers, and lockers Association (TMA) or similar organization
Vv Electric bicycle recharging stations ¥ — Other options proposed by employer

e Exceed a minimum benchmark of either 14 percent of employees who do not drive alone to work or an
average vehicle ridership (the number of vehicles divided by the total number of employees) of 1.12.

Please see the CCLI Agreement and Agreement Particulars documents for specific information about
employer participation requirements.



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

For employer-sponsored programs, costs could
vary. Based on employer interviews, the cost of
the rides themselves may average anywhere from
$20 to $70, with individual rides even higher.
Factors influencing cost of rides include taxi fares
and rental car rates in the area, as well as the
average distance that employees live from the
workplace. The total cost of the program depends
as well on the number of rides taken:(see ques-
tion below: How many employees can I expect to
use this service?) and the employer's internal
administration costs.

Question: What types of restrictions should be
placed on a guaranteed ride home program to
ensure that employees do not abuse the privilege?

Use should be restricted to genuinely unforeseen
circumstances - illness (personal or family),
unscheduled overtime, and the unavailability of a
carpool or vanpool driver to take his/her passen-
gers home. Employees should make transporta-
tion arrangements in advance for medical
appointments, school conferences, and overtime
requested in advance. When feasible, employees
should be dropped off at transit stations (for
example, if they have missed a connecting bus
but could still take rail.) Also, use should be
restricted to a certain number of times per year,
probably six or eight, to ensure that employees do
~ not stretch their definition of emergency.

The coordinator should track usage to determine if
particular employees have used the program too
often, and either revoke their privilege if it has
been abused, or work with them on transportation
solutions if the problem is based on genuine need
(for example, a child's continuing illness).

While many programs restrict usage to employees
who use alternative transportation several times
per week, it may be difficult to ascertain a partic-
ular employee's commute pattern over time. The
more lenient policy may be to allow any employee
who has used an alternative commute mode on a
particular day to request a guaranteed ride home
in an emergency.

Question: Even with program restrictions in
place, there still seems to be potential for fraud.
What experiences have other workplaces had
with abuse of guaranteed ride home programs?

Of six employers interviewed, none experienced
recurring problems with cheating or unusually
high numbers of requests. All had procedures in
place to ensure that employees were following
program rules, and in all employer-sponsored
programs the employee had to go through a
supervisor or coordinator to arrange a ride, thus
providing an additional level of oversight.

According to the Perimeter Transportation
Coalition (PTC) in Atlanta, GA,

Actually, abuse of the program is almost non-
existent. Most people see the program for what
it is - a safety net to be used only in a true
emergency. One large company in the Central
Perimeter has over 100 employees registered in
the program, but has used the GRH just twice
in all of 1999. However, the PTC would obvi-
ously be suspicious if the same employee were
using the service once a week, or if one compa-
ny was using it everyday. But in our experi-
ence, and in similar programs across the coun-
iry, almost no one cheats.

The only problems were minor billing problems
(taxi invoices sent to the wrong address or depart-
ment) and in one case, theft of vouchers by an
employee working in the program.

> Perimeter Transportation Coalition web site.



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

Georgia offers a $25 tax credit for each employee
receiving a transportation fringe benefit, as long
as the tax credit does not exceed the amount of
money spent on the program. Other states, includ-
ing Delaware, Connecticut, New Jersey, and
Oregon, offer tax credits to eligible companies
that implement commuter transportation benefit
plans, which could include guaranteed ride home
programs. So, although these states do not give
credits for guaranteed ride home programs specif-
ically, if they are instituted as part of a broader
commuter benefits package some of the overall
costs can be offset through credits.

A number of employers around the country have
implemented guaranteed ride home programs.
Successful programs have been implemented by
employers in both urban and suburban locations,
and by mid-size and large employers. The cases
below describe a range of employer programs.

Los Angeles, California and vicinity - Kaiser
Permanente

Kaiser Permanente, a major California health care
provider, has a guaranteed ride program active at
17 sites in the Los Angeles area. (The South Coast
Air Quality Management District requires all
employers in its jurisdiction with more than 250
employees to implement trip reduction programs.)
Only persons who use rideshare programs or transit
riders are eligible to register for the service, and
employees must be pre-registered to participate.
Employees who have a personal emergency receive
a voucher from their supervisor, who must verify
the emergency, then contact the security personnel
at their site to arrange transportation. Generally,
trips of under 20 miles are made by taxi, and longer
trips by rental car. Kaiser no longer allows rental
car trips on Fridays, because it was too difficult for
many employees to return the cars on Saturday.
Also, the security personnel can determine whether
a long trip should be made by taxi instead of rental
car - for example, if the employee feels too ill to

drive, or if the employee needs to arrive at the des-
tination as soon as possible.

The taxi or rental car company forwards the
voucher to Kaiser for payment. Virginia Gonzalez,
Transportation Analyst for Kaiser, said that the
only major hassle with the program is that the
companies often mistakenly send the bill to the
facility from where the employee was picked up,
instead of the central billing office. Kaiser staff
meet with the companies annually to review the
program and iron out such problems. The program
has been in existence 12 years, with the same taxi
and rental car companies (Enterprise Rent-a-Car)
as providers. Kaiser does not have contracts with
either firm; the program was set up based on a
mutual understanding of reimbursement and con-
tinues to operate that way. Taxi rides cost an aver-
age of $35, and rental cars average $45.

Ms. Gonzalez said that the program does not get
much use. Of a total of 35,000 employees at the
17 sites, fewer than 4,000 are registered. She esti-
mated that employees use only 10 rides home per
month; 15 rides would be an unusually high
month. However, she felt that it serves as an
incentive to encourage employees to sign up for
rideshare programs. She also said that they have
no problem with employees trying to exceed their
limit of eight trips per year, and only very occa-
sionally a problem with a non-registered employ-
ee receiving a free ride. She noted that many
employees with personal emergencies tend to
make their own transportation arrangements, and
do not rely exclusively on the program.

Issaquah, Washington - Costco Corporate Office

Costco, a discount grocery chain headquartered
outside of Seattle, has a guaranteed ride home pro-
gram for employees at its corporate office who
commute by rideshare, bus, bicycle, or on foot. Of
the 2,500 employees at the site, 600 are registered
for the program. The program generally provides
two to three rides per month, although in January
the number reached 18, thanks to flu season.



Commuter CHoice LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE
The National Standard of Excellence for Commuter Benefits

Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

Implementing Commuter Benefits under the
Commuter Choice Leadership Initiative

e Guaranteed ride home programs provide employees who commute via transit, carpool,
or vanpool with transportation home in the event of a personal emergency. This removes
a major barrier to alternative commute modes: the fear of being "stranded" at work in
the event of an emergency.

e Guaranteed ride home programs are often administered by transportation management
associations (TMAs), rideshare organizations, transit agencies, or metropolitan planning
organizations (MPOs). Some employers also run programs for their own employees,
especially as a component of a broad commute assistance program.

e Guaranteed ride home programs are supporting measures that help increase the effec-
tiveness of other commute programs. They tend to make the most sense for workplaces
that are well-served by transit during commute hours, but poorly served during the day-
time or evening hours; and for workplaces with organized carpool and vanpool pro-
grams.

e Programs usually tend to be very low cost in terms of direct (taxi or rental car pay-
ments) and indirect (staff time) costs.

e Although the employee receives a free benefit, there appear to be very few problems
with abuse of guaranteed ride home programs. Programs generally carry restrictions on
their use such as the number of rides employees can request per year, the type of situa-
tions in which rides may be requested, and the length or cost of trip.

e Guaranteed ride home programs are a required component of participation in the
Commuter Choice Leadership Initiative.







CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

e Aprogram may have too many restrictions (for
example, there may be a limit of 20 miles,
while many employees live farther away).

The employer should decide based on a review of
requirements and costs whether to enroll (in the
case of a TMA-run program), to publicize the
program to employees (in the case of a transit
agency, rideshare, or MPO program, which gen-
erally do not require employer involvement), or
whether to set up an employer program.

3) Participate in existing program.

If the employer decides to enroll in or publicize
an existing program, the employer should take
appropriate steps - join the TMA or obtain public-
ity material from the sponsor. An employer may
also wish to designate an ETC to facilitate
employee participation.

4) If there is no existing program, or the existing
program does not meet employer's needs, deter-
mine how best to establish internal program.

Employers should consider how to establish a
guaranteed ride home program that meets their
particular needs. Some employers who already
maintain vehicle fleets choose to allow employ-
ees to drive these cars as their guaranteed ride
home. If the company's insurance already covers
regular employees who drive the vehicles (as
opposed to fleet drivers only), a guaranteed ride
home would be considered business and be
insured like any other trip. If the company does
not generally allow employees to drive the vehi-
cles for liability reasons, the company could
choose to have a fleet driver take an employee
home.

Others choose to utilize taxi and rental car com-
panies, depending on how far away employees
live. Employees are subject to the same rental car
eligibility guidelines as any person renting a car;
for example, if an employee does not have a valid
license, s/he could not rent a car. The employer

should also decide if rental car vouchers or reim-
bursements will cover one-time insurance. If for
whatever reason the employee cannot rent a car, a
taxi service should serve as a back-up.

5) Write guidelines and set up procedures for
program,

Once the employer has settled on the type of pro-
gram to be established, the program must be set
up. This would likely include writing guidelines
for the following topics:

e Who is eligible;

e Whether it is necessary to register in advance
and who will be responsible for maintaining
the list of enrollees;

e Who employees will contact to request a ride
home;

e How emergencies will be verified;

e Whether there will be limits on the distance
or cost and number of times an employee can
request a ride home; and

© How payment will be handled.

At this point a billing system must be set up. If
an existing vehicle fleet is used, guaranteed ride
home charges should be added to other fleet
billing codes. If a taxi or rental car company is
used, the program administrator should meet with
the company to discuss billing - whether employ-
ees will give the driver or company a voucher,
whether driver tips will be included, whether
billing will be per ride or monthly, and where
invoices should be sent (this is especially impor-
tant if the employer has multiple worksites but a
central accounting office).

Employers should decide whether to have a for-
mal contract with the taxi and/or rental car com-
pany, or whether the program can be handled on
an informal.-basis.



CCLI: Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

Question: Do guaranteed ride home programs
really work in convincing employees to stop
driving alone?

Guaranteed ride home programs should be con-
sidered one of several support programs to
encourage commuters to switch from driving
alone. However, it is also important that employ-
ers offer a range of benefits to employees to
encourage the use of transit and car/vanpools;
these could include transit/vanpool benefits, pref-
erential parking for car and vanpools, and parking
cash out. Employers should also consider the
availability of transit and park-and-ride facilities
when making locational decisions.

Question: How many people can I expect to use
the service?

Although there is variation between employers, in
general usage is quite low, with a small percent-
age of eligible employees requesting one ride per
year. Among five employers surveyed, the per-
centage of employees enrolled ranged from 5.5
percent to 100 percent, with an average of 36 per-
cent. Five of these companies reported that fewer
than 10 percent of all eligible employees request-
ed one ride in any given year. One company
reported that almost 30 percent of employees
enrolled requested rides, but only 5.5 percent of
that company's total workforce was enrolled in
the program. This company's experience appears
to be atypical, because only vanpool riders may
request emergency rides home, not carpoolers or
transit riders.

Question: What if the guaranteed ride home
does not arrive in a timely fashion? Can I be
held liable?

None of the employers surveyed reported failure
of rides to show to be a particular problem. In the
case of a taxi company, if a taxi did not come
after repeated phone calls the company could use
another taxi company and simply reimburse the
employee. If the event is a medical emergency, of
course an ambulance should be called.

Question: What are the best ways to promote a
guaranteed ride home program?

An employer has numerous ways to inform
employees about the availability of a guaranteed
tide home program. Some of the more frequent
methods include but are not limited to the
following:

¢ Company orientation for new employees;

e Advertisements in places seen frequently by
employees (cafeteria, garage, elevators, etc);

e Distribution of program brochures;
. Company newsletters;
© Voicemail or e-mail broadcast;

e Special promotional days (example: a "Pool
Day" to encourage car/vanpooling)

e Awards or prize drawings to recognize
employees using transit or carpools;

e Inserts to paychecks;
@ Company web site or intranet.

Question: Do any state or local governments
offer any incentives for doing this?

Yes, a few. Maryland is the only state that gives
tax credits specifically for guaranteed ride home
programs. The Maryland Commuter Benefits Act
of 2000 expanded existing legislation to allow
employers to take a tax credit against specified
state taxes for guaranteed ride home programs
and parking cash out programs. (Previously, the
tax credit program had covered only provision of
transit passes and vanpool benefits.) Employers
can receive a tax credit of 50 percent of the total
benefit cost, up to $30 per employee per month.

Several states offer tax incentives for providing
transit/vanpool benefits. Minnesota provides a tax
credit equal to 30 percent of the difference
between what the employer pays for transit/ van-
pool passes and what employees are charged for
the passes.

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