Guaranteed Ride Home
One of the most commonly cited reasons for not ridesharing is concern about being stranded at work in the event of illness, accident or emergency. RideShare offers a Guaranteed Ride Home service for eligible commuters who rideshare. It provides a free taxi cab ride home from work in case of emergency on a day that you use a commute alternative such as carpooling.
To qualify for the program, your work (i.e., pickup) location must be within one of the Mid-America Regional Council counties. (Guaranteed Ride Home coverage is subject to the availability of taxi service in any given area of the region.)
Eligible commuters are carpoolers, vanpoolers, bicyclists, and Johnson County Transit riders who commute to work using one of those methods on a regular basis. The Metro has its own guaranteed ride home service so Metro riders are not eligible to use RideShare's.
RideShare has contracted for this service with a taxi cab company, and is not responsible for the level of service provided.
Participants’ personal information is kept confidential and is never shared with outside entities.
How Does Guaranteed Ride Home Work?
Signing up
When you register for the Guaranteed Ride Home service, you'll receive a pass card — valid until the end of the year — and information on whom to call and what to do if you need an emergency ride home. Many companies have signed up as participating companies and have onsite coordinators who can help you get an emergency ride home. If your organization is not listed below, the RideShare office will be your contact (816/842-RIDE).
NOTE: Guaranteed Ride Home registration is separate from signing up for the RideShare Connection carpool-matching tool.
Keep in mind the normal operating hours of your contact. Rides through the Guaranteed Ride Home service cannot be planned outside of your contact's normal operating hours. Designating an on-site coordinator at your company can help employees with shifts outside of regular daily business hours. If your company wants to participate, let us know.
When you request a ride home
- Once a call is made for an emergency ride, you must be confirmed as a registered participant of the RideShare program.
- The Guaranteed Ride Home coordinator or RideShare staff person will call the taxi company to request a taxi pickup for you.
- The taxi driver will fill out a voucher for you to sign.
- Intermediate stops will only be allowed if they relate to the emergency (e.g., stopping at a pharmacy or your child's school).
When Can I Use Guaranteed Ride Home?
You may use the Guaranteed Ride Home service in the event of an illness or accident involving yourself or a family member, or in the event of an unforseen emergency involving family or personal property. The service may also be available if your carpool or vanpool driver leaves work and you have no ride home. (NOTE: All remaining riders will share a single ride home.)
The service may not be used for:
- getting to work if you miss your ride or bus
- business-related travel
- pre-planned medical appointments
- early work dismissal or office closure
- a medical condition that requires immediate attention at a hospital or doctor's office
- personal errands
- scheduled overtime
- region-wide weather emergencies that cause roads to be impassable
-
building evacuations or office closures that occur during the workday
How Often Can I Use Guaranteed Ride Home?
You may use the program up to two times during each calendar year. RideShare will contact you every year to renew your participation for the following year.
You will lose access to the program if it's used in an unauthorized or inappropriate way.
THE BASICS
