Guaranteed Ride Home | 511 Contra Costa

Guaranteed Ride Home

guaranteed ride home

Want to walk, bicycle, carpool, vanpool, or take public transit to work or college, but worry about needing a ride for an emergency? 511 Contra Costa’s no-cost “commuter insurance” is for you!

You’re Guaranteed a Ride Home!

Our Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) program reimburses you for a ride home during emergencies like a personal illness, sick child, or missing your carpool. Register now, and you’ll be ready to go if an emergency strikes. Best of all, it’s FREE. There’s no cost to sign up and we’ll reimburse you for up to six Guaranteed Ride Home trips each year.

To be eligible, you just need to work or attend college in Costa Contra County and commute by walking, biking, or sharing a ride.

Don’t work in Contra Costa? Neighboring counties offer Guaranteed Ride Home programs too. Check out the list here. All Bay Area Counties have a Guaranteed Ride Home program, but if you commute to another county that doesn’t have a Guaranteed Ride Home program, we will cover you!

Using Guaranteed Ride Home

You are already registered, and commuted to work or school by walking, biking or sharing a ride and you need an emergency ride home. Now what?

  1. Arrange for your ride home using a ridehail service (Uber, Lyft etc.) a bike rental, public transit or a taxi.
  2. Save your receipt.
  3. Once you’ve completed your trip, log into your account and fill out the Reimbursement Form within 30 days.

You will be reimbursed for the trip home if the emergency is due to one of the following:

  • You or an immediate family member suffered an illness, injury, or crisis, or
  • Staying at work later than usual, with a supervisor’s request, causing you to miss your carpool, vanpool or last transit ride, or
  • Your ridesharing vehicle broke down or the driver had to leave without you, or
  • Your bicycle was stolen or broke down and could not be repaired at work or on the way home, or
  • There was a break-in, flood, fire, or other emergency at your residence, or
  • Your transit mode was shut down for the day.

Guaranteed Ride Home may NOT be used for:

  • Personal errands or travel
  • Pre-planned medical or dental appointments for the participant or rideshare driver
  • Business-related travel
  • Working overtime without a supervisor’s request
  • Planned or scheduled overtime where you have time to arrange another ride home
  • Transit delays (that don’t include a system shut down)
  • Inclimate weather
  • Non-emergency side trips on the way home
  • Failure to schedule a ride home with your online ridematching service or app (e.g. Scoop, Waze Carpool). Note: Please review your online ridematching app or service for Guaranteed Ride Home guidelines and use those program offerings when using these commute alternatives
  • Ambulance service
  • Trips to work

View the full Guaranteed Ride Home program terms.

Guaranteed Ride Home Frequently Asked Questions

511 Contra Costa is a program of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority. Guaranteed Ride Home is made available with funding from Contra Costa Transportation Authority and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

Contact Us

Email: grh@511contracosta.org
Phone: 510-210-5930
Mail:
   511 Contra Costa GRH Program
   6333 Potrero Avenue – Ste 100
   El Cerrito, CA 94530