County May Provide Emergency Rides

Ventura County employees who car-pool would be guaranteed a ride home when their travel plans are disrupted, if a new policy is approved by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

The proposed policy is aimed at encouraging the county’s 6,000 employees to leave their cars at home and car-pool, van-pool, ride the bus, bicycle or walk to work.

A ride home would be guaranteed if the employee had to work overtime unexpectedly, had to leave early because of illness or a family emergency, or if the car-pool driver was called away from work.

Under the policy, employees might use a county vehicle to drive home or even call a taxi if they could not find a ride with another employee. If 1,500 employees participate in the county’s ride-sharing program, no more than 150 rides home are anticipated, officials said. The cost, including cab fare, would be less than $5,000 a year.