Commuting in Santa Barbara County
Tools and Incentives to Improve Your Commute
Whether it’s remote work or carpool Tuesdays, each day you choose to not drive alone impacts your wallet, your health, and our environment. If you work in Santa Barbara County, create an account at SmartRide.org to compare travel options, access employer rewards, enter sweepstakes, send carpool messages, request Emergency Ride Home reimbursement, and track your impacts (SmartRide app available for Android and Apple devices).
Guaranteed Ride Home
People who work in Santa Barbara County often drive because they worry an emergency will happen the day they carpool, bike, or take the bus. The Guaranteed Ride Home program will reimburse the cost to get home 12 times per fiscal year, not to exceed $300.
How to Redeem
- Hail an Uber, Lyft, or taxi; rent a car; or take transit.
- Pay for your ride home and save receipt.
- Log into SmartRide.org and select GUARANTEED RIDE HOME on your Dashboard.
- Select GRH Voucher and fill out pop-up form.
Participant Eligibility
- Commute to work by carpool, vanpool, train, bus, or bicycle
- Work in Santa Barbara County
- Have an account and log trips at SmartRide.org
Eligible Use
- Personal or family illness
- Family or household emergency
- Carpool driver has unscheduled overtime or emergency
- Unexpected overtime
- Bus cancellation
- Significant public transit delay of 2 hours or more
- Flat bike tire or unexpected weather
- Natural disaster
Ineligible Use
- Planned medical appointments
- Personal errands
- Business travel
- Job injury
- Rental car charges after 24 hours
- Trips to work
- To avoid delays due to detours
Once your request is verified, a check will be mailed to your address for the cost of the ride plus tax and up to a 15% tip. Donations added onto the cost of the ride, such as a LyftUp donation, will not be reimbursed. Rental car charges will be reimbursed ONLY for the base fare cost of a one-day rental plus tax, tolls, and basic car rental insurance. Only one receipt per trip will be reimbursed. Any misuse of this program will be at commuter’s expense and will jeopardize future eligibility.
Help Getting Started
Whether you landed a job, rented a home, or want to rethink the daily drive, a commute expert is available to help. Leave your contact information, and we will respond with carpool matches, a recommended bike route, free transit passes, subsidy information, and more based on your interests.
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