Across the United States, employers offer a set number of free or subsidized rides home for employees who commute without a car and need to get somewhere unexpectedly and quickly. We’ve covered Guaranteed Ride Home generally on our blog before, and touch on the differences in several programs across the country. How does Guaranteed Ride Home work in Philadelphia? Read on to learn how to get a free ride when you need it.

Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) organizes the greater Philadelphia region’s transportation and land use plans. Among its responsibilities, the DVRPC operates several programs to support commuters: park and ride lots, organizing carpools, and Guaranteed Ride Home program. Anyone that works in metro Philadelphia can participate in what DVRPC called “Emergency Ride Home”.

Who is eligible? 

DVRPC’s program is unique in that employees can participate without their employer’s involvement. Anyone in greater Philadelphia, even if they’re self-employed or work from home, can sign up directly. To be eligible for a ride, participants must commit to traveling by some mode other than driving alone at least three times a week.

How do I register? 

Sign up on DVRPC’s Share-A-Ride website. Note that you don’t actually need to register to share a ride to be eligible for Emergency Ride Home.

How do I get my ride home?

Participants have to pay for the trip and then submit a form to request a reimbursement on the day they made the trip. The reimbursement can cover up to $50 per use, up to twice a year. This cost generally covers taxis, Lyft/Uber rides, but isn’t narrowly restricted.

Emergency Ride Home is open to residents and employees of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania; and residents of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer counties in New Jersey and New Castle County in Delaware who work in the Southeastern Pennsylvania region. Read more on the DVRPC’s website.

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Lyft and Uber

Guaranteed Ride Home programs existed long before Lyft and Uber arrived on the scene, but both companies have offerings that deliver smooth experiences to employees and transparency and control to employers. These offerings have their nuances, but are similar enough to be grouped together here.

Who is eligible?

Employers must sign up with Lyft or Uber to participate in their Guaranteed Ride Home programs (or have a benefit administrator do it on their behalf). The employer sets the policies:

• Where must trips start or end to qualify? Must trips start or end at a certain time?
• How many trips can be taken a year?
• How is the trip subsidized? Up to some total per year, or some total per trip, or some percent of each trip?

How do I register?

It’s up to the employer how the employee certifies that they commute by something other than driving, or how often they need to fulfill this requirement. This could be as simple as a one-time form, or a recurring self-report.

Once the employer is set up, they collect email addresses or phone numbers from employees who want to participate and send them to Lyft/Uber. The apps use that information to enroll those employees’ accounts in the program.

‍How do I get my ride home?

Whenever an enrolled employee takes a qualifying trip, the subsidy is automatically applied. The employer receives a bill at the end of each month for their share, as well as a report on the trips that were taken for approval and confirmation. Neither Lyft nor Uber offers any subsidy themselves for these trips. 

These programs are relatively easy to use for riders, but require funding and some participation from employers. Employers typically choose either Lyft or Uber, because tracking trips taken across both apps is labor-intensive.

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Employer-managed reimbursement programs

Employers that want to give their employees the most possible options can also set up their own reimbursement-based program. This requires more effort for the employer (or their benefit administrator) but gives employees the most options and flexibility. For example, an employer can determine which expenses are allowed, and expand it beyond Lyft or Uber to include taxis and car rentals. They can set their own rules about when and where the trips can occur and can define the subsidy rules.

Who is eligible?

This is entirely up to the employer, similar to Lyft/Uber.

How do I register?

This is also up to the employer. Typically, employees fill out a form, certifying that they understand the rules and have qualifying commutes.

How do I get my ride home?

The employer sets up a reimbursement process. They can require employees to provide documentation about their trip to ensure that it meets their requirements, and then either issue a check or include it in a future paycheck.

These employer-managed programs offer more flexibility in terms of options, and give employers complete insight and control. But these advantages can be offset by the effort needed to actually review, approve, and process reimbursements. 

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Looking to set up an employer-managed reimbursement program? Jawnt Pass can be configured to automatically follow and implement employer policies. Reach out to chat about how Jawnt can support Guaranteed Ride Home – we’re here to help.

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