Greyhound Will Offer Free Tickets Home for Runaways

With human trafficking on the rise throughout the country, finding a way to help the thousands of runaways make their way home to safety is so important and Greyhound Bus Lines wants to help.

Again this year Greyhound has teamed up with the National Runaway Safeline (NRS) to offer runaway kids a free ticket home to get back with their families or guardians. The amazing offer is part of their Home Free Program. According to Greyhound, every year around 400 kids and teenagers who have run away get a free ride home with Greyhound, anywhere in the U.S.

The program was founded in 1987, and along with the NRS hopes to reunite as many families as it can. The NRS phone hotline was founded in 1971 and operates 24-hours a day 365 days a year.

This is how it works, to be eligible the child has to call the NRS helpline, individuals need to be between 12 and 21 years old, be named on a runaway report and be willing to be reunited with their family (and vice versa). Home Free can only be used on two occasions by the same person. They will also provide a free ticket for the parent or legal guardian if the young person is under the age of 15.

The National Runaway Safeline says it's important to know that not all kids that runaway are necessarily "bad" kids. Often these kids are simply running away from something and not towards something.

“They are dealing with a situation that feels overwhelming,” National Runaway Safeline says, “be it family dynamics, bullying, gender identity or being lured from home over the internet. They believe living anywhere else is better; even if this means living on the streets.”

If you happen to be, or know someone that needs assistance, the toll-free number is to call is  1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929). For more information on the National Runaway Safeline click here.