The Emergency Ride Home program is a safety net for UW employees, UW graduate students and UW Health employees who commute without a personal vehicle. If an emergency arises, ERH ensures you aren’t stranded on campus.
You might also be looking for
Request an emergency ride
We partner with RoundTrip to provide emergency rides home through Lyft. RoundTrip is a free Dane County commuting service operated by the Greater Madison MPO.
Step 1: Register with RoundTrip
To use ERH, you must register with RoundTrip using your UW–Madison, UW Extension, or UW Health email address.
Step 2: Request a ride
- In RoundTrip, go to Rewards > Emergency Ride Home.
- Click Request a Ride.
- Complete the form.
- A one-time Lyft Pass code will be emailed to the email address you used when registering for RoundTrip.
Be prepared
Register with RoundTrip and request a Lyft pass now so it’s ready in case of an emergency.
Eligibility
UW employees, UW graduate students, and UW Health employees who commute to work in any of these ways are eligible to use the Emergency Ride Home program:
- Riding the bus / transit
- Using a park & ride
- Bicycling
- Walking
- Driving with a carpool
- Driving with a vanpool
Qualifying emergencies
Appropriate requests for ERH
- You or a family member gets sick or injured while you are at work.
- A personal or family crisis occurs.
- Your carpool leaves unexpectedly.
- Your bicycle breaks down.
- You have supervisor-approved, unscheduled overtime that leaves you without a ride.
Inappropriate requests for ERH
- Running personal errands.
- To get home from events that are planned in advance, such as after-hours meetings.
- Planned school cancellations / closures.
- Your vehicle breaks down.
- You are scheduled to work overtime.
- In general, any situation of which there was prior knowledge.
Guidelines and policies
- All trips must start from the UW-Madison downtown campus area or UW Hospital.
- You may use ERH any time during your working hours.
- You may use ERH up to 6 times per year.
- Do not pay for the ride yourself; we cannot provide reimbursements.
- If you want to leave a tip for the driver, that is your responsibility.
Policy
Go to the emergency ride home policy for more information about the program.