The Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) program provides a safety net for employees and commuting students who use sustainable transportation to get to campus without the worry of getting stranded due to illness, unexpected overtime, or another qualifying emergency. In the event of a valid emergency, GRH ensures that employees and students using sustainable transportation will be reimbursed up to two times per fiscal year (July 1 - June 30).
Participants must be current UCLA students, staff, or faculty with no active UCLA single occupancy parking permit (carpool permits are eligible). Dorm, Weyburn, and Hilgard housing students are not eligible.
How it Works:
- If an eligible employee or student has a qualifying emergency, they call an Uber/Lyft, another transportation network or carsharing company, taxi, get a rental car, or take public transit to get them from campus to their home, personal vehicle, a medical facility, daycare, or school.
- Once a ride has been utilized, fill out the Smartsheet intake form.
- Employees: Reimbursements are reviewed by Metro. You will be emailed a GRH reimbursement claim form via DocuSign where you will attach a copy of your receipt. Metro must receive the completed reimbursement form within 60 days of using the emergency ride. Completed forms are sent to Metro every two weeks. Metro will send a reimbursement check within 10 business days if approved.
- Students: Reimbursements are reviewed by UCLA Transportation. You will attach a copy of your receipt to your Smartsheet intake form. Due to delays with COVID, please allow up to 6-12 weeks for a reimbursement check if approved.
- Note: Employees and students must ensure they are only utilizing the program two times per fiscal year. Any further rides during the same fiscal year will not be reimbursed.
What qualifies as a valid GRH emergency?
- Personal illness/emergency
- Unexpected illness/emergency of an immediate family member
- Carpool/vanpool driver has an emergency or unexpected overtime
- Carpool/vanpool driver illness
- Employee is required to work unscheduled overtime
What does not qualify as a valid GRH Emergency?
- Personal errands
- Non-emergency appointments/meetings/doctor visits
- Voluntary overtime or coursework
- Public transportation disruptions or delays for any reason
- Termination/layoffs
- Being sent home from work early due to scheduling issues by management
- A ride to work
- Business travel
- Inclement weather
- Any trip where alternate transportation could be arranged in advance
- On-the-job injury
- Mechanical breakdown of carpool or vanpool
- In place of a loaner/replacement vanpool vehicle
- If a vehicle is towed, impounded, or cannot be accessed because of police activity
- Early release from work due to loss of power, lighting, or network access at the worksite
- Being sent home from work early for any reason other than is specified in the rules as a valid emergency
- Natural disasters, including but not limited to fires, mudslides, flooding, and earthquakes are excluded as a valid reason for a GRH reimbursement
