Emergency Ride Home

It’s great to bike, carpool, take the bus, vanpool, or walk to work, but what if an emergency leaves you stranded? Don’t worry, our Emergency Ride Home (ERH) Program will reimburse the cost. It’s available up to 4 times per year, not to exceed $220 total, for commuters whose workplaces are located in Santa Barbara County. An account at SmartRide.org is required!

It Works Like This: Get Your Ride & Send Us Your Receipt

If you have an emergency and need a ride from work (on a day you used sustainable transportation), hail an Uber, Lyft, or taxi, or rent a car for 24 hours. Pay for your ride home and get a receipt. You do not need to complete a form beforehand. For optimal pricing, we recommend Lyft/Uber/taxi for trips under 25 miles and a 24-hr rental car for trips that are farther. You are welcome to include a tip in your total cost.

After your ERH, log into SmartRide.org and visit Programs > Rewards > Emergency Ride Home. Each SmartRide.org user has 4 tokens for an Emergency Ride Home, after redeeming 1 of 4 tokens, a pop-up form will ask for details and let you upload a receipt to begin the reimbursement process. Once we have verified all the necessary information, we will send you a check in the mail for the total amount of the receipt.

Who’s Eligible:

You are:

1. If you commute by carpool, vanpool, train, bus, bicycle, or walking (occasionally or regularly);

2. If you use a qualifying mode on the day the Emergency Ride Home is needed;

3. If your workplace is located in Santa Barbara County; and

4. If you create an account on SmartRide.org

What trips are eligible?

The following unplanned emergencies:

1. Personal or family illness;

2. A family or household emergency;

3. Your carpool driver has an emergency or unscheduled overtime.

What trips are not eligible?

The following situations are not covered by the Emergency Ride Home Program:

1. Working overtime (unexpected or planned);

2. Pre-planned medical or dental appointments;

3. Personal errands;

4. Business-related travel;

5. Injury on the job;

7. Transit system delays/closures (unless you have an eligible emergency during the delay);

6. Regional disasters, such as earthquake, fire, or flood.

Emergency Ride Home Fine Print

Any rental car charges incurred after 24 hours will not be reimbursed. Reimbursement requests without a receipt cannot be honored. Make sure you get a receipt from your transportation provider. Requests do not guarantee payment. Any inappropriate use of this program will be at the employee’s expense and jeopardize future program eligibility. The Emergency Ride Home program can be used up to four times a calendar year and cannot exceed $220 in a year. The program is limited to commuters whose workplaces are located in the County of Santa Barbara, who reside in the County of Santa Barbara or neighboring counties. The program may be changed at any time without notice.