Commuter Connections released its Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) Customer Satisfaction Survey report for FY 2024, receiving high marks. An important workplace benefit, GRH serves as a free “insurance” program for commuters and one that cost zero dollars for employers to offer. The report reveals the success of the program to fulfill its promise of providing commuters with peace of mind when using ways to commute to work other than driving alone. As a support mechanism, GRH provides commuters who get to work (twice or more a week) by carpool, vanpool, train, bus, bike, or by walking with a free and reliable ride home when life’s unexpected emergencies arise.
A major hurdle for employees considering use of more sustainable commute methods is concern about the possibility of being stranded at work when illness or emergencies arise. GRH takes those worries away as the free service may be used to get home due to personal illness, a sick child, and for family emergencies. GRH can also be used for unscheduled overtime, when an employer mandates that an employee must stay late. Commuters may use the free GRH benefit for up to six free trips each year.
Of the 633 surveys sent to GRH participants, eight percent were completed, with the vast majority (94 percent) of respondents pleased with the overall service, giving either excellent or good ratings. Since 1997, the GRH program has been providing free rides to commuters when they need it most. GRH is available for those who work in the Washington DC and Baltimore regions (including Southern Maryland).
In addition to measuring program satisfaction, the survey also provides a forum for open-ended comments. In fact, 65 percent of respondents shared personal stories about how GRH helped them during their emergency or simply expressed gratitude. Some respondents explicitly credited GRH as the reason they started to use an alternative commute method, demonstrating that GRH serves as a security blanket and catalyst for more sustainable ways of commuting.
To read the full report visit commuterconnections.org/news/publications. For more information about Guaranteed Ride Home and for free employee registration visit commuterconnections.org/programs-and-incentives/guaranteed-ride-home.
