With a new year almost upon us, the Employee Transportation Program (ETP) wants to remind King County employees that Home Free Guarantee is available to employees who come to work via bus, rail, streetcar, carpool, vanpool, biking or walking. Home Free Guarantee provides King County employees up to eight free taxi rides home each calendar year in case of unexpected personal emergencies while they are at work or unexpected requests to work overtime.

“This program is designed to help employees to put their worries away and take a mode of transportation other than driving alone to work knowing, that if, for example their child gets sick and they have to pick her/him up at a daycare, or their boss asks them to stay and work overtime, we will send them home in a taxi at no cost to them,” said Hossein Barahimi, who oversees the Home Free Guarantee program. “We want our employees to not worry and take the bus to work, if they can.”

Emergency rides home can be used when employees become ill, have child-care emergencies, or their family members experience severe crises while they are at work. The program is also available when employees are unexpectedly asked to work past their regular work hours, and when employees are stranded at work because their carpool or vanpool driver leaves due to an emergency.

For years, employees have been taking advantage of this great service. “On average, over 1,000 trips are taken every year,” Hossein said.

Home Free Guarantee is available 24/7. However, the service does not cover scheduled appointments.

ETP is currently working on a pilot program that enable employees to use Uber or Lyft services, in addition to the traditional taxi services.

“Our excellent transportation benefit package, which includes the Home Free Guarantee program, is yet another way King County tells people to come and work for King County,” Hossein said. “We are a good and responsible agency to work for.”

Click here for more information. Contact the Employee Transportation Program Hotline at 206-477-5800.