JACKSON, Wyo. — Teton County is exploring the possibility of implementing a guaranteed ride home (GRH) program that would be available to any worker in the county who commutes to work via alternative transportation.
At the Tuesday Board of County Commissioners (BCC) meeting, Teton County Transportation Manager Charlotte Frei presented guidelines to the Board for a pilot program and answered questions about this type of program in other communities. The BCC voted unanimously to approve the pilot program and $6,500 in transportation funds to support the initiative. The next step is for staff to draft program rules, which will come before the BCC at a future meeting, then open a 45-day public comment period.
“This is a longstanding program in many communities,” Frei said at the meeting. “Historically it was a taxi program. … It’s an old concept but technology today makes it really simple for us — you could order a taxi, or an Uber, or a Lyft to get home in the event that you’re stranded at work for whatever reason; because your vanpool needed to depart early or because you have a child who is sick.”
A GRH provides a ride home for employees who are stuck at work and unable to access their preferred method of commute transportation, whether that be carpooling, public transportation or another alternative to driving their own vehicle. These programs are traditionally seen as a way to promote alternative modes of transportation while alleviating the fear of getting stranded with no ride home.
According to Frei, County staff had reached out to Park City, Utah, and Bozeman, Montana, to learn about their respective GRH offerings. Park City’s program covers all of Summit County, while Bozeman’s program limits eligibility to those who live within city boundaries. Staff notes state that peer communities reported minimal fraud in their programs, and Frei told the BCC that the programs are not used as frequently as one might think.
Any employee in Teton County, who works for a public or private company or a nonprofit, is eligible for reimbursement under this program, so long as they commute to work via START Bus, carpool, vanpool, biking or walking. Those eligible for the program will be able to register online and request reimbursement for a qualifying situation where they had to get a ride home from work by a taxi or rideshare service. Participants are limited to four uses or $300 in reimbursement per year, whichever comes first. Qualifying situations include a personal or family emergency, personal or family illness, unexpected overtime, carpool failure, missed last commuter bus, breakdown or malfunction of public transportation vehicle or bicycle.
