Article 4. Guaranteed Return Trip Demonstration Project of California Government Code >> Division 3. >> Title 2. >> Part 5. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 4.

This article and Chapter 8.5 (commencing with Section 14925) of Part 5. 5 shall be known and may be cited as the Guaranteed Return Trip Demonstration Project.

The department shall establish and administer the Guaranteed Return Trip Demonstration Project in accordance with this article. The department shall develop standards and guidelines for the demonstration project, including a definition of return trip eligibility, and, upon approval of those standards and guidelines by the director, shall implement the project.

The department shall publicize the project and solicit proposals for programs designed to provide mass transit and high-occupancy vehicle commuters with transportation to their homes, their personal vehicles, or another agreed upon location in the event of an emergency or specific unforeseen occurrence.

The department shall prescribe forms to be utilized to apply for a grant to fund a proposed program, and shall adopt regulations prescribing qualifications for eligibility for the award of a grant, and establishing standards for auditing the expenditure of grant funds.

The Guaranteed Return Trip Fund is hereby created in the State Treasury. An amount not exceeding one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) for each of the calendar years of 1991 and 1992, is hereby appropriated from the fund for the purpose of making grants pursuant to this article, and for the purposes of Chapter 8.5 (commencing with Section 14925) of Part 5.5, including the costs of the Department of General Services and the Department of Transportation, in administering this article and that Chapter 8.5.

Grants of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) for projects covering a single employer or not more than fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) for projects covering multiple employers may be made to public and private entities, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
  (a) Local governmental entities, including, but not limited to, transit districts.
  (b) Transportation management organizations and other associations formed to promote the use of high-occupancy vehicle commuting.
  (c) Employers and groups of employers with established transportation management plans.
  (d) Nonprofit organizations which provide transportation management services.

(a) A public or private entity may submit to the department a program proposal and an application for a grant to fund the development and initial operation of a proposed program.
  (b) To be eligible for funding, a proposed program shall meet all of the following criteria:
  (1) Serve regular users of mass transit or high-occupancy vehicle commute modes.
  (2) Provide transportation at no cost or at a nominal cost not to exceed the amount normally spent for home-to-work transportation by such means as a taxi, rental car, fleet car, or escort service, to the user's home or other agreed upon location.
  (3) Agree to report to the department, not later than one year after receipt of a grant, regarding the effectiveness of the program, as indicated by:
  (A) The number of participants using the guaranteed return trip program.
  (B) Whether the program has increased the number of commuters using alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle commuting.
  (4) Develop written policies specifying eligibility and procedures for use of the guaranteed return trip option.

The department shall evaluate each proposal submitted to it and award grants to qualified applicants which are selected for participation in the demonstration project. Grants shall be awarded in a manner which assures a reasonable distribution of grant funds throughout the state. A grant shall not be renewable.

The amount of any grant shall be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis by the grant applicant. The funds granted, together with the matching funds, shall be used solely for purposes of the guaranteed return trip program, as specified in Section 14180.

The recipient of a grant may use the funds for costs related to the development and operation of a guaranteed return trip program, including any of the following:
  (a) Development and administration of the program.
  (b) Program operating costs.
  (c) Promotion of the program and the recruitment of participants.
  (d) Significant expansion of currently existing programs.

Upon its selection of a proposed program and the award of a grant for the program, the department shall notify the Controller of its action, and the Controller shall disburse the amount of the grant, as specified by the department, to the applicant from the Guaranteed Return Trip Fund.

The department shall conduct an evaluation of the Guaranteed Return Trip Demonstration Project in order to determine the effectiveness of individual programs funded pursuant to this article in promoting the use of mass transit and high-occupancy vehicle commuting. Not later than July 30, 1993, the department shall submit to the Legislature the results of its evaluation of the demonstration project, together with its recommendations as to whether the project should be continued.