Guaranteed Ride Home Program Provides Peace of Mind for Commuters

By Hacienda Network Staff Writer

One of Hacienda's greatest assets is the number of commute options available to park employees and residents. Every day, commuters arrive and leave the park via alternate transportation modes that include buses, trains, carpools, vanpools, and bicycles. Those commuters all enjoy a special benefit that provides extra peace of mind: Alameda County's Guaranteed Ride Home program.

This program provides just what you would expect: a free ride home from work if you have an emergency to attend to and used a commute alternative to get to your job that day - any mode of travel qualifies with the exception of driving alone in your car. Registration is required but once that step is complete, you qualify for reimbursement for your trip home whether you rent a car or take mass transit, a taxi, or even Lyft or Uber.

All permanent full-time and permanent part-time employees who are employed in Hacienda or elsewhere within Alameda County and live within 125 miles of their worksite are eligible for this free program on days that they do not drive alone to work. Participants do not have to live in Alameda County to be eligible.

The Alameda County Guaranteed Ride Home program works on a reimbursement basis. To qualify for a free ride home, a registered participant in the program must meet one of these guidelines:

You or an immediate family member suffers from an illness or severe crisis;
You must work unscheduled overtime (supervisor authorization is required);
Your ridesharing vehicle breaks down or the driver has to stay late or leave early;
Your commute bicycle breaks down on the way to or from work and cannot be repaired at your work site.

The program will reimburse participants for eligible expenses from the use of taxis, rental cars, car share vehicles, services such as Lyft or Uber, or public transportation, as long as receipts are supplied. Fuel and gratuity are not eligible expenses, but insurance and tolls for rental cars are eligible for reimbursement. Users simply submit copies of their receipts by either uploading them on the Guaranteed Ride Home web site or mailing them to the program office within 30 days. Upon receipt, the program will provide reimbursements for all claims that meet its guidelines within the following 30 days.

The Guaranteed Ride Home program may be used up to six times per year but no more than twice in a calendar month, with a cap on reimbursements of $125 per trip and $600 per year. Full program guidelines are available online.

To register for the program or to obtain additional information, including detailed program guidelines, access the Alameda County Guaranteed Ride Home web site at www.grh.alamedactc.org. Additional information is available by calling (510) 433-0320 or e-mailing grh@nelsonnygaard.com.

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