Emergency Ride Home

Getting you home in case of an emergency

Are you afraid that leaving your car behind for a smart commute option means you won't get home quickly from work in the event of an emergency? With Emergency Ride Home (ERH), you don’t need to worry about getting home for personal emergencies when using a smart commute option. 

If your company contracts with Pierce Transit for their Emergency Ride Home (ERH) program, any day you use a commute option to get to work you are eligible for a taxi, Uber or Lyft ride home if an emergency arises. Best of all, your ride will most likely be free — we’ll reimburse you for the cost!

WHEN CAN YOU USE ERH?

If you use a commute option to get to work and have an emergency situation you qualify for Emergency Ride Home.

ERH can be used, with employer approval, for:

  • Unexpected personal or family illness
  • Unexpected request by a supervisor to work late (that is, the request comes on that same day, without prior notice or knowledge)
  • Unexpected change in planned ride home (e.g., carpool driver had to leave early due to an emergency)
  • Other approved emergency situations which occur during the workday

WHERE CAN YOU GO?

You may use ERH to travel from your worksite, which must be located within Pierce County, to:

  • Home
  • The location of your personal vehicle (e.g., park and ride lot, daycare center, carpool partner's home)
  • The ferry terminal (reimbursement ends at the ferry terminal)
  • Your medical provider

An intermediate stop is permitted if it is related to the nature of the emergency, such as picking up a sick child from school before going home or to the location of the car.

WHEN ERH CANNOT BE USED

There are some cases in which the Emergency Ride Home service may not be used:

  • Personal errands
  • Business-related travel
  • Pre-scheduled appointments or overtime
  • Working late with prior notice
  • Hospital trips in place of ambulance service
  • Trips to the doctor's office or hospital due to a work-related injury
  • Transportation beyond the ferry terminal
  • Non-emergency side trips
  • Employment layoff or termination
  • You have met your ERH trip limit for the year
  • Inclement weather

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Contact your Employee Transportation Coordinator for more information, but here are some general program guidelines to help:

  • Each employee is allowed up to six trips per calendar year/ORCA contract period.
  • There is unlimited mileage per trip, up to $100.
  • Reimbursement will cover taxi/TNC fare. It does not include gratuity.
  • Inappropriate use of the program may result in the loss of ERH privileges.

HOW CAN I GET ERH AT MY WORKPLACE? 

  • Employees: To find out if your employer has an ERH program, contact your work site Employee Transportation Coordinator.
  • Employers who would like an ERH program should contact us.

For State Agencies, the State Agency Free Emergency SAFE-Ride program is available to employees who use an alternative commute option to get to work. To learn more, contact your Employee Transportation Coordinator.

  1. What if I need to get home in case of an emergency?
  2. How do I get reimbursed for an Emergency Ride Home?
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