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Has this ever happened to you?

• You’re at work and you receive a phone call telling you that a family member has fallen ill, so you need to get home as soon as possible… but you got to work by making multiple transit connections.
• You become sick while at work and need to go home early… but you walked and now you’re too ill to walk home.
• Your supervisor unexpectedly asks you to work late… meaning that you’ll miss the last scheduled shuttle.
• Your carpool driver has to leave early… leaving you behind.
• You pop a tire or otherwise damage your bicycle on your way to work… and now you’re stranded.

All of the above are qualified reasons to use 128 Business Council’s Emergency Ride Home (ERH) program. The ERH program provides commuters who use alternative transportation with a guaranteed ride home in the event of an emergency. This program encourages the use of alternatives to driving alone by ensuring that, if there is an emergency during the work day, you will not be stranded at work.

• You must be an employee of a 128 Business Council member company. Don’t know if your company is a member? Check our list of current members or contact us.
• You must use alternative commuting methods at least two days per week on a regular basis. Alternative methods include: carpool, vanpool, bike, walk or transit—including 128BC shuttles.
• You may use this service a maximum of two times in any 6 month period.
• Acceptable destinations are your home, a public transportation connection point, a hospital or doctor’s office (only in the event of a sudden illness), your child’s daycare or school, or other appropriate destinations as approved by your supervisor.

Note that the following are not qualified reasons to use the ERH program:

• Personal errands
• Pre-planned medical appointments
• Business-related travel
• Working late without a supervisor’s request
• Early departure or delays due to inclement weather or utility failure
• An injury sustained on the job that falls under a workers’ compensation claim

Inappropriate use of the program will require you to reimburse all expenses incurred, and may lead to your exclusion from ERH in the future.

1. Notify your supervisor of the qualified emergency and obtain their signature on this form.

2. Contact an approved service for your ride, and be sure to save your receipt.

For trips less than 10 miles or after 6PM: Use one of the following approved ride share or taxi services.

• Uber
• Lyft
• Waltham Taxi: 781.647.1117
• Central Square Taxi: 781.894.2000
• Veterans Taxi: 617.527.0300
• Smurfs Transportation: 781.893.5900

For trips over 10 miles between 8AM and 6PM: 128 Business Council has an ERH account with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Enterprise offers a free pick-up service from your office, subject to availability, and vehicles can be returned to any office in New England with no additional fees. Just call the closest branch and reference “the Emergency Ride Home program through 128 Business Council.”

• Waltham Enterprise: 140 Moody Street – 781.894.6770
• Lexington Enterprise: 301 Massachusetts Avenue – 781.860.0883
• Needham Enterprise: 27 Wexford Street – 781.433.7440

3. Submit your form and receipt to us within 30 days of your ERH trip.

• Submit by email
• Submit by fax: 781.890.4736
• Submit by snail mail: 128 Business Council, Emergency Ride Home Program, 395 Totten Pond Road, Suite 302, Waltham, MA 02451

4. You will be reimbursed for the cost of your ride up to $50.00.

Please note that our responsibility covers only the reimbursement up to $50 of your ERH ride fare, and only as long as you comply with the eligibility requirements and follow the program procedures properly. We are not liable for any loss of property, damage, or injury to you or others associated with your ERH ride. For additional information regarding this disclaimer, please contact us.

All GRID-branded buses used on our shared services are equipped with bike racks. If you are planning on bringing your bike on the shuttle, check out the instructions ahead of time by clicking this link.

Our Emergency Ride Home (ERH) program extends to cyclists who experience flat tires or other bike malfunctions while commuting to and from work—or who, for example, bike to work and then become too ill to bike home.

We can schedule virtual or in-person route planning & mode shift counseling events, bike safety checks, maintenance & winterization clinics, instructor-led group rides, and other cycling-related programming—which we can facilitate directly or through a local bike shop. Contact us to learn more.

Don’t have time to watch the video? Download this handout instead, or use the handout to follow along with the video.

Jump straight to: Visibility – 0:41 | Care & Cleaning – 2:26 | Recommended Purchases – 8:19 | Being Kind to Yourself – 10:57 | Long-Term Bike Storage – 11:57.

We can also bring all of this information to your worksite, along with plenty of giveaways, as a pop-up clinic!

128 Business Council is the sole sponsor of Watch City Bike Lab—a free pop-up “learn-it-and-do-it-yourself” bicycle workshop located in downtown Waltham right on the riverside boardwalk at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation. The Bike Lab is generally up and running Sundays 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. May through October, but be sure to look them up online before heading over.

As part of statewide Baystate Bike Month, 128 Business Council runs a yearly May Mode Shift Challenge, during which participants can win prizes by shifting trips from car to bike —or from car to walking or public transit, including our shuttles. We can also sponsor an organization-specific Mode Shift Challenge—either during May or another time of year.

We can assist you in connecting to bikeshare programs or in establishing a private bikeshare system for your business or community. We can also help you install bike-friendly infrastructure at your workplace, development, or community hub, including bike racks, cages, lockers and shower facilities. Contact us to learn more.