For two decades, Philadelphia has provided a lifeline to commuters through its Emergency Ride Home service, designed for those who bike, carpool, or take public transit when unexpected situations arise. However, a significant barrier for many riders has been the upfront payment required, usually up to $50, which may deter users from taking advantage of this essential service.
To address this issue, a new pilot program has been launched by the Clean Air Council, which introduces a voucher-based version of the Emergency Ride Home service. This innovative approach allows stranded commuters to access a $50 voucher through the Uber app when their bus is significantly delayed, canceled, or fails to reach their destination in an emergency.
Available in the Fair Acres area, the voucher service specifically targets regular riders of SEPTA bus routes 110, 111, 114, and 117, which have been cited in discussions with SEPTA for their high rates of delays and cancellations.
Stacy Bartels, who oversees the Office of Transportation Demand Management at the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), explained the challenges of the existing reimbursement model. Riders face a 45-day wait before receiving their reimbursement, which can be daunting for those who cannot afford to front the fare initially.
“Even though that allows for fairly good accountability since they have to put the money out, that’s a big ask for some people, especially if you’re getting close to the $50 limit to have that available … to pay upfront,” Bartels highlighted.
In contrast, the new program aims to streamline this process. Titania Markland, the Sustainable Transportation Program Manager at CAC, noted that while there are numerous transit options in Center City, the Fair Acres region does not offer the same flexibility. If a rider’s regular bus fails to arrive, their alternative routes may not support their immediate needs.
This can lead to frustrating wait times, which are compounded by cuts in service beginning August 25 due to a lack of state funding, affecting the frequency of the selected bus routes. As Latrice Ash, a worker at Fair Acres and a frequent user of the 114 bus, remarked after her shift, the service has shown improvement recently. Nonetheless, she recalls instances of significant cancellations due to operator shortages.
“If they don’t have anybody, they don’t send anybody,” Ash said, citing the frustrating wait for the next bus. Her colleague, Kiwann Jones, who rides the 117, expressed enthusiasm for the emergency voucher initiative. “It’s fast travel, it’s free for emergencies, and you ain’t got to wait for every hour,” he asserted, viewing the program as undeniably beneficial.
Markland believes that the new system could ultimately foster a greater reliance on public transportation. “With this system, people may actually take SEPTA more because they have something to rely on if something comes up, and the bus is canceled or late,” she explained.
To qualify for the voucher, riders must reside or work in southeastern Pennsylvania and use alternative transportation modes, such as public transit or carpooling, at least twice a week. Registration through the Share-A-Ride program is required at least 24 hours before utilizing the voucher or seeking reimbursement.
Bartels emphasized the importance of encouraging more users to sign up for the program to ensure they can take advantage of its benefits during emergencies. Despite the program’s initial lack of high usage, which suggests that emergencies are rare, there’s a desire from the DVRPC to see more participation as a means to promote carpooling and public transit.
“Thankfully, we don’t get a lot of usage of it, which means people don’t have a lot of emergencies, and we don’t have to be concerned about people abusing the service,” Bartels stated, adding that they hope for beneficial usage when emergencies arise.
Valid emergencies include immediate family health issues, unscheduled overtime, breakdowns in carpool vehicles, or emergencies affecting carpool drivers. However, situations like weather-related delays or crashes do not qualify.
This pilot initiative is funded by a $100,000 grant from the DVRPC’s travel options program and aims to collect participant feedback through a post-survey beginning in January, which will continue until the end of the pilot in June. The DVRPC will then evaluate the collected data to determine if the voucher system should be rolled out region-wide, potentially replacing the existing reimbursement system altogether.
The establishment of this voucher system represents a proactive effort to enhance public transit usage across Philadelphia and its surrounding counties, addressing the operational challenges many commuters face daily. By relieving the financial burden of upfront costs in emergencies, this program hopes to encourage more residents to take reliable public transportation solutions.
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