Save Time & Money on Your Commute with the Ride Home Rewards Program
At this point, it seems common knowledge that commuting via public transit, carpool, or vanpool offers significant savings and environmental benefits. Still, some remain hesitant to use alternative modes of transportation to commute to and from work. Family emergencies, unexpected overtime, illness, and more can all contribute to a commuter’s reasons for choosing to drive themselves to and from work.
What if we told you we had a solution? Here’s how the Ride Home Rewards Program can save you time and money on your commute – giving you the flexibility and freedom to commute smarter!
What is the Ride Home Rewards Program?
Funded by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) as one of goCommute’s many commuter programs, the Ride Home Rewards Program ensures that commuters using sustainable transportation methods have a reliable way to get home during unforeseen circumstances. If you commute by bus, rail, carpool, or vanpool, and log your trips in the ConnectingVA app, you might be eligible for a free ride to your home or parked car when you need to leave work earlier or later than usual.
How the Ride Home Rewards Program Works
Using the Ride Home Rewards program is easy. Here’s how to sign up and take advantage of this program:
Register for the ConnectingVA app: Visit the goCommute website to sign up for the ConnectingVA program.
Start logging your trips: To qualify for the Ride Home Reward, you’ll need to actively log at least five trips every month in the app. You can set trips as recurring – such as your weekly teleworking days – to make this easier!
Redeem your reward: If you need to use the Ride Home Reward, redeem it as a reward in the ‘rewards’ tab of the app! goCommute will arrange a ride using a rideshare service to pick you up from work to your car, whether it’s parked at home or at a local park & ride.
Other Things to Note About the Program
With the peace of mind the Ride Home Rewards Program brings, you can confidently commute smarter every day! Here are some additional things to know:
Only specific trips qualify: The five logged trips must be carpool, vanpool or transit trips. This is because these trips rely on other people to bring you to/from work, which could lead to inconvenience when things don’t go to plan!
You must have taken one of those modes the day you make your request: The team will verify you have used carpool, vanpool or transit before finalizing your ride home.
You will need to redeem your reward within a specific day/time window: The program runs Monday – Friday, from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. However, if you need a ride after 4 p.m., you can redeem the reward prior to 4 p.m. the day you need the ride. Rides can be booked for times as late as 10 p.m.
Federal and State holidays are exempt: The program does not run on federal and state holidays.
The Bottom Line
A smarter commute comes with peace of mind. With innovative commuter solutions like the Ride Home Rewards Program, commuters can feel empowered to choose the commute that saves them time and money every day.