EXAMINATION OF 11 GUARANTEED RIDE HOME PROGRAMS NATIONWIDE

Research on 11 guaranteed ride home (GRH) programs nationwide is documented. A GRH program provides a way home for ridesharers who miss their regular ride home as a result of a daytime emergency or working overtime. These programs may increase participation in ridesharing programs by reducing a common fear of being stranded without transportation. The research canvassed all GRH programs in operation in 1988; a series of case studies is followed by a comparative analysis of key program elements. The 10 GRH programs described are those of Hughes Aircraft, Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District's Flex-Pool program, Montgomery County Government's subsidized taxi service, Reston commuter bus, 3M's back-up vanpool service, Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant's back-up vanpool program, Xerox's company fleet car program, Northern Telecom's back-up carpool service, Prudential's escort service, and the Seattle Metro's and City of Bellevue's subsidized taxi service. A description of UCLA's GRH service is included as an example of the planning and development of such a program. The experiences of these early pioneers can shed light on current GRH planning efforts. Although no program was able to statistically support or reject the contention that GRH services encouraged ridesharing (because of lack of data on commuting trends before introduction of the program), all program administrators felt that the GRH services were successful in reaching their basic goals.