First-on-the-West-Coast Partnership- iCommute Program Expands to Include Ridesharing App

San Diego County CA— SANDAG and Uber announced a new partnership Thursday to support and encourage sustainable commute choices by expanding the iCommute Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) program to offer free rides to alternative commuters facing an urgent need to get home.
GRH provides a safety net for commuters who carpool, vanpool, take transit, bike, or walk to work. Participants enrolled in the program can get a free ride home up to three times per year in the event of personal or family illness or emergency, unscheduled overtime, or being stranded at work due to their carpool or vanpool driver leaving early for an emergency.
Through the partnership between iCommute and Uber, GRH participants can now choose Uber for an emergency ride home, in addition to taxi and rental car options.
“We’re incredibly proud to be supporting the iCommute program through 2022, helping San Diegans get home safely and reliably throughout the year,” said Megan Prichard, Uber Southern California Regional Manager. “This partnership is the first of its kind between Uber and a West Coast regional governing entity, and we’re thrilled to be part of this, helping to directly address the changing mobility needs of San Diego’s workforce.”
To demonstrate their support for sustainable commute choices, Uber has committed to subsidize up to $20,000 per year for GRH trips through June 30, 2022.
In fiscal year 2017, nearly 1,700 commuters at more than 300 employers throughout the region were enrolled in the iCommute GRH program.
“The SANDAG iCommute program is happy to support commuters who make sustainable commute choices by providing a safety net to help them get home in an emergency,” SANDAG Vice Chair and Del Mar Mayor Terry Sinnott said. “iCommute and Uber hope that providing a new, convenient choice for Guaranteed Ride Home will encourage more people in the San Diego region to try a new commute.”