Emergency Ride Home Program

If you are a carpooler or commute by bike or transit, you can register as a registered commuter in our Rideshare Program. The Emergency Ride Home program gives you several free taxi rides per year when an emergency or unforeseen circumstance causes you to miss your ride home.

To find out if you qualify for the program, refer to the policies and procedures below. Complete and submit the Emergency Ride Home Program Application. The form may be completed online or printed. Once application is complete, fax to (901) 222-9561 or mail to the Air Quality Improvement Branch office.

Polices & Procedures

The Emergency Ride Home Service is only intended to provide emergency rides home for current and active ride sharers who cannot ride home with their normal carpool, vanpool, or transit.
To be eligible for the ERH program you:

• Must be employed (full-time or part-time) at a fixed site in Shelby County, TN.
• Must be a registered and active member of MARS (Memphis Area RideShare) and commuting by carpool, vanpool, bike or public transit vehicle (s) to employment site.
  • Carpool - When two or more registered and active riders in the same vehicle on an average of at least three times a week or fifteen times a month to their employment site.
  • Vanpool - When five or more registered and active riders commute together in a passenger van to their employment site. One or more of the members of the group volunteer to drive with each rider sharing the cost of operating the van.
  • Public Transit - When registered and active riders use public transit as their mode of transportation an average of at least three times a week or fifteen times a month to their employment site.
  • Bike - When registered and active riders ride their bike as their mode of transportation an average of at least two times a week or ten times a month to their employment site.

The service is not intended to provide a ride home for activities that are known at least one day in advance.

Specifically, you may use the service only for the following reasons:

1. An immediate family member has an emergency;
2. You are asked to work late by your supervisor during that day (Unscheduled overtime);
3. You are sick at work and cannot wait on a ride;
4. Your regular driver is unavailable to drive you;
5. Your bike is inoperable.

The service is specifically not intended to cover the following:

1. Medical appointments made in advance
2. Overtime work requested in advance
3. Getting home during periods of bad weather, including snow or sleet
4. Non-emergency side trips
5. Ride to work

The Memphis Area Ride Share Program will pay for your trip home up to six (6) times per calendar year. Once enrolled and you have mailed in your completed log sheets for the month, you will receive two (2) numbered vouchers which are good for two (2) trips. Once you have used all six (6) vouchers, you will have to wait until the next year to receive additional vouchers. Vouchers are not transferable and must be used for every ride.

You may utilize the Emergency Ride Home Service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Memphis Area RideShare Program will pay for the trip.

The Memphis Area RideShare Program will only honor vouchers used in accordance with this program; vouchers changed or used by someone other than the person to whom assigned will not be honored.