The Emergency Ride Home (ERH) program provides commuters who regularly vanpool, carpool, bike, walk or take transit with a reliable ride home when life’s unexpected emergencies arise. Concerns about immediate transportation, in the event of an emergency or schedule conflict, often hinders commuters from using an alternative to driving alone.

This program will provide an “emergency ride home” to any registered participant in a case of emergency on the day the employee has used an alternative mode of transportation to get to work.

To register on line go to: http://www.ashevillenc.gov/residents/transportation/default.aspx?id=2874

Eligibility Requirements

Employer

• To enable their employees to participate in this program, employers are required to register by completing a registration form and sending it to the TDM (Transportation Demand Management) Coordinator at the City of Asheville Engineering Department.
• As part of the registration, each employer will be required to identify an employer contact person to help coordinate information distribution, program promotion, and follow-up with employee participation.
• The TDM Coordinator will send out periodic reports to the employer contact person to help keep the participant lists current.

Asking the employers to register will help the TDM coordinator get more employers participating in a CTR (Commute Trip Reduction) program in the Asheville area. This will help with the air pollution problems currently facing our region.

Employees

• Employees must be pre-registered and work in Buncombe County for an ERH registered employer.
• Permanent part-time or full-time employees.
• An alternative mode must be used on the day ride is needed.
• No minimum requirements for regular alternative mode use.
• Must be over 21.
• Approved alternative modes are:
  1. Transit
  2. Ridesharing - carpool & vanpool
  3. Bicycling
  4. Walking/Running

Limiting the program reassures that only those using alternatives and who have a true emergency will take advantage of a free ride.

Allowable Uses and Use Limitations

A registered participant may use this program if:

• They or an immediate family member suffers from an illness or severe crisis.
• They must work unscheduled overtime.
• Their ridesharing driver has to stay late or leave early.

Emergency side trips are allowed on the way home (i.e., picking up a sick child at daycare/school). Each employee may take an ERH ride up to twice in any calendar month but not more than six times in one calendar year.

The program can not be used for:

• Personal errands
• Pre-planned medical appointments
• Business related travel
• In place of an ambulance
• Non-emergency side trips on the way home
• Inclement weather or unexpected acts of nature

Process for Using ERH

The participant will be required to fill out a registration form and sign a Liability Waiver and General Release of All Forms.

When a participant registers for the program they will receive:

• A voucher good for one emergency ride home.
• A list of participating service providers and instructions for usage.
• A follow-up questionnaire about the quality of service.