June Commuters Have Guaranteed Ride Home

June
June 22, 1999 | Volume 7, Number 6

Hacienda Commuters Have a Guaranteed Ride Home

By Hacienda Pulse Staff Writer

Interested in a free and easy way to reduce stress from your commute? Using the Alameda County Congestion Management Authority's (CMA) Guaranteed Ride Home program guarantees that you won't get stranded at work after using an alternative commute mode.

Whether it's a family illness or crisis, or simply being asked to work unscheduled overtime, you'll have a way to get home. The program is designed to make sure commuters have a way back on days they walk, bicycle, carpool, vanpool, or ride the train, bus or ferry.

Employers who simply fill out a brief registration form allow their employees to become eligible to take up to 6 free Guaranteed Rides Home per year.

A Special Arrangement

Thanks to a special arrangement between the Alameda County CMA and the Hacienda Owners Association, all Hacienda companies are eligible for the CMA program.

"Under usual circumstances, a company is required to have a minimum of 100 employees to qualify for this program," says James Paxson, general manager of the Hacienda Owners Association. "The CMA, however, is working with us to identify Hacienda as a single employment center and extending program coverage to all businesses, no matter what size they are."

A Simple Procedure

For program participants, it's a simple procedure to get their ride.

Upon registering for the program, enrollees receive a voucher good for one guaranteed ride home, a list of participating transportation providers, and a follow-up questionnaire about the quality of service.

To get their ride, they simply call the appropriate transportation provider (a taxi company) for their area and tell the dispatcher that they are a program participant and that this is a Guaranteed Ride Home call.

Next, they fill out the voucher and give the voucher to the driver at the beginning of the ride. Upon arrival, the driver will fill out his or her portion of the voucher. The rider then signs the form and keeps the pink copy, leaving the other two copies with the driver. (The rider is responsible for tipping the driver.)

Finally, fill out the follow up questionnaire and return it to the CMA by fax or mail within seven days. That's it!

Free Enrollment

The Guaranteed Ride Home program is free to the employer and employee. However, both must be registered with the CMA.

Enrolling in the program is simple. Just call the call the Hacienda Owners Association at (925) 734-6500 or the Guaranteed Ride Home program hotline number at (510) 433-0320 and follow the instructions provided.

To be eligible for enrollment, you must be a permanent full-time or permanent part-time employee and live within 100 miles of your Hacienda work site.

Additional Services Available

The City of Pleasanton's Commendable Commutes program offers additional coverage to companies with 75 or more employees, including an extension of the Guaranteed Ride Home program for employees who live more than 100 miles away from their Hacienda work site. Contact the Hacienda Owners Association at (925) 734-6500 for details.

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