If you work in any of the Virginia counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, or Prince William, or the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas, or Manassas Park, the District of Columbia or the adjacent Maryland counties, and use a carpool, vanpool, public transportation, or the Virginia Railway Express to get to and from the office, the Commuter Connections Guaranteed Ride Home Program can provide you with a FREE and reliable ride home when one of life’s unexpected emergencies arise.
The Commuter Connections Guaranteed Ride Home Program is operated by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. For more information or to register, call 1-800-745-7433 or visit the Commuter Connections website.
If you work in the Middle Peninsula Region (the counties of Gloucester, Essex, King and Queen, King William, Mathews and Middlesex and the towns of Tappahannock, Urbanna and West Point) and use carpool, vanpool, transit, or bicycle to get to and from work, MidPenRideShare’s GRH program can get you home when something unexpected occurs.
MidPenRideShare’s GRH program ensures that those who carpool or vanpool to work always have a way home. Personal or family emergencies, unexpected requirements to work late, carpool or vanpool vehicle breakdowns are all covered by this service.
For more information or to register for MidPenRideShare’s GRH program, please call 877-451-1555 or 758-2311 or click on the Register button below.
MidPenRideShare GRH Program Participation Guidelines
Commuters must be officially registered with MidPenRideShare for the GRH Program before using the service.
Registered commuters are those who have received an official registration letter from MidPenRideShare. This registration is separate from the ridematching registration. Registered and one-time exception commuters must be carpooling, vanpooling, taking transit, bicycling, or walking to their site of employment on the day they request the GRH service.
Commuters who have not been officially registered may use the GRH service one time, providing they meet all other eligibility criteria. This is referred to as a “one-time exception.” “One-time Exception Commuters” must call Middle Peninsula Rideshare to receive authorization prior to using the GRH service. “One-time Exception Commuters” will not be reimbursed for trips not authorized by MidPenRideShare. Any commuter granted a one-time exception must be officially registered before additional GRH trips are granted.
Registered commuters may use the GRH program up to four (4) times annually from their official registration date. Commuters who received a one-time exception and then officially register with MidPenRideShare may use the GRH program 3 more times within the 12-month period following the date of their one-time exception GRH trip.
Commuters must contact MidPenRideShare annually to re-register and update their registration information to maintain their GRH registration.
The GRH program may only be used in cases of unexpected personal or family emergency, unexpected illness, or unscheduled overtime. Cases in which the GRH program cannot be used include but are not limited to the following: previously scheduled medical appointments, personal errands, transit service disruptions and/or delays, business related travel, working late without a supervisor’s request, weather emergencies, and any type of building closings or evacuations, and natural acts of God.
Requests to use the GRH program because of unscheduled overtime must be made before the commuter’s registered work end time.
GRH service is available Monday through Friday between 8:30 am and 4:00 pm, excluding federal and state holidays as listed in the Participation Guidelines.
To be eligible, a commuter must be physically working in the Middle Peninsula Region. The Middle Peninsula region includes the counties of Gloucester, Essex, King and Queen, King William, Mathews and Middlesex and the towns of Tappahannock, Urbanna and West Point.
All GRH trips must originate from the commuter’s work location.
MidPenRideShare will pay for one vendor service per request. Cancellation on the part of the commuter of a GRH trip or no-show by the commuter may count as one of the four annual trips. If the GRH trip is made by taxi, the commuter is responsible for tipping the taxi driver.
If the GRH trip is made by rental car, the commuter is responsible for signing a standard rental agreement, showing a valid driver’s license and proof of insurance, providing a credit card for collateral expenses, returning the rental car within a 24-hour period, and the following charges: gasoline refueling charges, taxes, purchase of insurance (if necessary), additional rental charges if auto is not returned within 24 hours. The commuter will be responsible for any loss or damage to the rental car.
GRH is a free service provided by MidPenRideShare, a program of the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission (MPPDC). MPPDC will use its best efforts to provide the Guaranteed Ride Home in accordance with the guidelines shown above. By requesting assistance from the Guaranteed Ride Home program, the participant in the program explicitly acknowledges that MPPDC assumes no liability for the timeliness of the GRH participating vendor(s) or any accidents that may occur on the conveyance.
GRH Participation Guidelines and this program can be subject to change without notice!
