The Emergency Ride Home service is intended to provide free emergency rides home for registered commuters who travel in Davidson, Cheatham, Dickson, Maury, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson or Wilson counties, who cannot ride home with their normal carpool, vanpool, train or express bus. Commuters must be pre-registered in the program and will receive a voucher for a taxi or rental car for transportation home.
The Emergency Ride Home service is not available during periods of bad weather.
To register for the Emergency Ride Home service, qualified applicants can call 615-862-8833, or fill out and submit the Emergency Ride Home Application form online. You may also print out and complete the application and fax it to 615-862-6208 or mail it to:
Regional Transportation Authority
130 Nestor St.
Nashville, TN 37210
Policies and Procedures
The Emergency Ride Home service is intended to provide emergency rides home for regular ridesharers who cannot ride home with their normal carpool, vanpool, train or express bus.
To qualify, participants must share a ride to work with at least one other person on an average of at least 3 times per week or 15 times a month. The service is expressly not intended to provide a ride home for activities that are known at least one day in advance. Specifically, you may use the service only for the following reasons:
- You or an immediate family member is sick or has an immediate need for your assistance.
- You are asked to work late that day by your supervisor during the day.
- Your regular driver cannot drive you because he or she has left unexpectedly or must unexpectedly work late.
This service is specifically NOT intended to cover the following:
- Medical appointments made in advance
- Overtime when requested in advance
- Getting home during periods of bad weather, including sleet or snow
If you register for this service, the RTA will pay for your trip home up to 8 times a year. You will be provided a taxicab or rental car. In either case, the RTA will pay for the trip, including tip or gratuity to the taxicab driver. The RTA will only honor vouchers used in accordance with the program; vouchers changed or used by someone other than the designated person will not be honored.
Special Rental Car Policies
Persons under the age of 21 will not be permitted to get a rental car, but will be taken home by taxicab regardless of the distance involved. Persons seeking to use a rental car must have a valid driver’s license and meet the rental car company’s specifications for insurance. Generally, that means you must have either proof of insurance readily available or your insurance agent’s name and telephone number for the rental car company to contact for verification of coverage, or agree to acquire collision insurance from the rental car company at your personal expense. Persons who cannot drive because of physical conditions or who do not have a valid driver’s license will be taken home by taxicab.
RTA’s Role
The Regional Transportation Authority will be responsible only for either the fare and gratuity to the driver to the taxicab or for the fee for the use of the rental car for 24 hours, excluding the extra rental car company insurance.
