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First-Year (Frosh) Student Emergency Ride Home

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The program is open to first-year (frosh) students only due to freshman parking restrictions at Stanford. The intent of the First-Year (Frosh) Emergency Ride Home program is to provide first-year (frosh) a ride home to campus if they are caught without a ride or in an emergency. You're allowed three free rides per academic year. 

Review the First-Year (Frosh) Parking Policy for more information.

  1. Register for the program with Stanford Transportation by completing the Frosh ERH Program Registration.
  2. When you need a ride, call Yellow Checker Rainbow Cab at 650.999.9999. Tell them your name and that you are registered with the Stanford First-Year (Frosh) Emergency Ride Home program. Give them the account number 300-350, your pick-up location, on-campus destination, and the nature of the emergency. After they verify your information, they'll pick you up.
  3. Wait for cab. Do not keep the cab driver waiting (you pay for wait time if you are not there when they arrive). They'll take you back to campus. Please note that the program does not cover driver gratuities.

To qualify for a free ride, you must:

  • be registered with our program
  • be a first-year (frosh)
  • have a covered, verifiable need (we can only cover matters of personal necessity, not personal choice)

What is a "covered need"?

  • a minor accident or injury requires you to go to the Stanford Hospital or Vaden Health Center (for major medical emergencies, call 911.)
  • a situation where you had a ride home, but your ride left without you
  • when you've missed the last Marguerite back to campus

What is NOT a "covered need"?

  • rides from campus to an off-campus location
  • rides beyond eight miles of Stanford’s campus (see authorized cities below)
  • any non-emergency situation where you did not plan your transportation options well (don't "plan" on utilizing one of these rides; it's meant to be a "safety net")
  • need a ride from the airport (take Caltrain or pay for your cab, and plan your transit connections when you plan your trip)
  • going across the campus or off campus for a party

Restrictions

  • only one-way non-stop trips TO campus will be covered coming from Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Atherton, Menlo Park, Redwood City, Portola Valley, Woodside, East Palo Alto, or Sunnyvale (all cities within an 8-mile radius to campus)
  • wait time and the cab driver's tips are NOT covered; be ready when the cab arrives
  • Stanford will not accept any liability for damage to or cleanup costs for the cab
  • you are limited to only THREE one-way trips for the academic year
  • rides are non-transferable (you can't give away your ride to a sophomore or non-registered first-year (frosh)), but you can have multiple people in your cab
  • if you call a cab but you don't show up, it will be counted as a ride
  • Yellow Checker Rainbow Cab (650.999.9999) is the ONLY cab company participating in this program. Rides from other cab companies will not be covered.