Commuters Offered Free Rides Home

County transit officials on Monday unveiled a new free ride program they say will improve air quality, encourage carpooling and help welfare recipients become self-sufficient.

To be funded with $75,000 in state and federal grants over the next three years, the program’s main objective is to reduce pollution by eliminating one of the main barriers to using public transportation or carpools to get to work--the dreaded emergency.

“It is a safety net for anyone who is using public transportation to get to work,” said Simi Valley City Councilman Bill Davis, who is chairman of the Ventura County Transportation Commission. “By guaranteeing a ride home in case of emergency, we hope more people will consider leaving their cars at home.”

Registration is open to any commuter in the county.

The program will guarantee free taxi rides or rental cars to car-less commuters who are confronted with family illnesses, child-care problems, unexpected overtime or other unforeseen crises while at work.

Still, much of the enthusiasm Monday for the new program focused not on what the free ride will do to clean up the county’s air, but on how it will help welfare reform efforts.

Officials said finding reliable transportation, along with child care and job creation, is a key ingredient to revamping the nation’s 60-year-old welfare system.

The rides program was introduced at the Employment Development Department in Oxnard, where county officials have opened the county’s first one-stop welfare reform center, offering welfare clients transportation, child care and job-seeking skills they need to become self-sufficient.

Commuters must fill out registration forms to be eligible for the guaranteed ride home program. Registration forms are available through private employers or by calling the Ventura County Transportation Commission at (800) 438-1112.

Participants will be limited to two free rides each month. Taxis will be called for distances less than 20 miles, and 24-hour rental cars for trips longer than 20 miles.