Guaranteed Ride Home as part
of your Commute Program

For Employers

One reason people are sometimes reluctant to commute to work is because they do not have access to their own transportation should there be a change in their regular work schedule. Typical unforeseen situations include:

• If they become ill, or if a family member does.
• If they need to work overtime on short notice.
• If they rideshare and their driver is unavailable for some reason.

Providing employees who do not drive to work with a guaranteed ride home encourages participation in commuting options. Guaranteed Ride Home is a key element in an employee commute program because commuters (rideshare participants and transit users) may need another reliable transportation option outside of peak hours and when they need to get home quickly in an emergency. Taxis are the most common way employers guarantee their employees a ride home. Employees tend to think of Guaranteed Ride Home as “commuting insurance” and as such, do not abuse it usage.

A Guaranteed Ride Home program does not have to be complicated. Simple rules that outline who is eligible, under what circumstances, how the employee arranges the ride, how the employee is reimbursed for any expenses and how often Guaranteed Ride Home can be used in a year, are often sufficient. And to make it easy for employers to set this up, the Smart Commute Markham, Richmond Hill Association can help.