Free Rental Cars Get Alameda County Commuters Out of a Jam

The Alameda County CMA Guaranteed Ride Home program provides a free ride home to commuters who use a commute alternative and have an unexpected need to get home. Now, the rental car option is available to eligible participants throughout Alameda County.

(PRWEB) May 23 2004--As gas prices rise, now is the perfect time for commuters to seek more fuel-efficient alternatives. Since 1998, Alameda County’s Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) Program has provided peace of mind to commuters who carpool, vanpool, ride transit, walk or bike to work because they get a free ride home in case of an emergency. GRH has just expanded to offer the option to use a rental car option, in addition to the original taxi ride, to participants throughout Alameda County.

The Guaranteed Ride Home Program makes it easier for people to use commute alternatives such as carpools, vanpools and transit by providing them a free ride home when unexpected circumstances arise such as illness, family member crisis, unscheduled overtime, or problems with carpool or vanpool rides. There is no cost to participate in the program, and participants need only pay for the taxi gratuity or the gas in the rental car. “The fear of not being able to go home sick or care for a sick child is a major barrier to using a commute alternative,” said Jean Hart, Deputy Director of Alameda County Congestion Management Agency (ACCMA). “Guaranteed Ride Home provides a comfort level that may get people to try transit or another alternative mode for the first time.”

Prior to October 2002, GRH provided only one option: a taxi ride. Then, GRH implemented a pilot rental car program for participating employees in Dublin, Pleasanton, and Livermore. Program managers received such positive feedback from rental car users, they decided to make the rental car option available to program participants throughout Alameda County. Enterprise Rent-a-Car drops off and picks up the rental car at the participant’s workplace. GRH participants who live more than 20 miles from where they work are encouraged to use a rental car instead of taking a taxi. This new option provides greater flexibility, which can be particularly important in times of crisis.

To be eligible for a free Guaranteed Ride Home, participants and their employers must first enroll in the Program. Participants must work for an Alameda County employer with 100 or more employees, be employed on a permanent full- or part-time basis, and live within 100 miles of their worksite. There is no minimum number of days that they must use a commute alternative – even if they ride the bus just once, and need to get home in an emergency that day, they are eligible for a Guaranteed Ride Home.

The Program is sponsored by the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency and is funded by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA).