Carpooling Tips for Saving Time and Money

Carpooling is a great way to save money, save time and reduce your carbon footprint. Successful carpooling does involve quite a bit of coordination to make sure everyone gets picked up and dropped off at the right place, people are compensated and everyone is happy with the arrangement.

Here are a few tips for successful carpooling.

Finding Carpoolers

The first place to look for carpoolers is your immediate circle.

If you’re driving the kids to school, the easiest place to look are parents of other kids in the neighborhood.

If you’re driving to work, the easiest place to look are co-workers who also live in your area.

If you’re deliberately looking for carpoolers and can’t find them in your immediate circle, look on Craigslist. Craigslist has a very active carpooling community. Check it a few times a week and you’ll very likely find people looking to carpool the same route.

Aim to Go above the Carpool Lane Limit

Different states have different rules about the carpool lane. In some states two people qualify for the carpool lane, while in others three people are required.

Using the carpool lane allows you to save time by driving faster, and reduces your gas consumption as well.

Try to always be above the carpool lane cut-off.

Only Pick Up & Drop Off in a Certain Area

One big mistake a lot of carpoolers make is going too far out of their way to pick people up.

Remember – the main purpose of carpooling is to save money on gas. If you’re spending time and gas going to pick people up, it defeats the purpose.

Only pick people up in your area. Only drop off near your area.

Costs & Compensation

Agree on costs and compensation before you carpool. Often times it’s as simple as splitting the costs each way.

Sometimes you might decide that the driver pitches in a little bit less than everyone else. If you’re rotating different vehicles and some vehicles have lower gas mileage, you might have to discuss that upfront as well.

Discussing the costs upfront, before agreeing to carpool, helps avoid awkward money conversations after the fact.

Clear Cancellation Policy

Make it clear to everyone how cancellations work. For example, send a text to everyone involved 24 hours beforehand if you need to cancel.

This helps avoid hard feelings if someone suddenly has something come up.

Carpooling, when done correctly, can save a lot of time and money while being a great social experience for everyone involved. The tips above will help you avoid many of the common carpooling pitfalls and make the whole experience smoother and easier.

Carpooling Tips for Saving Time and Money

Carpooling is a great way to save money, save time and reduce your carbon footprint. Successful carpooling does involve quite a bit of coordination to make sure everyone gets picked up and dropped off at the right place, people are compensated and everyone is happy with the arrangement. Here are a few tips for successful carpooling.

Finding Carpoolers

The first place to look for carpoolers is your immediate circle. If you’re driving the kids to school, the easiest place to look are parents of other kids in the neighborhood. If you’re driving to work, the easiest place to look are co-workers who also live in your area. If you’re deliberately looking for carpoolers and can’t find them in your immediate circle, look on Craigslist. Craigslist has a very active carpooling community. Check it a few times a week and you’ll very likely find people looking to carpool the same route.

Aim to Go above the Carpool Lane Limit

Different states have different rules about the carpool lane. In some states two people qualify for the carpool lane, while in others three people are required. Using the carpool lane allows you to save time by driving faster, and reduces your gas consumption as well. Try to always be above the carpool lane cut-off.

Only Pick Up & Drop Off in a Certain Area

One big mistake a lot of carpoolers make is going too far out of their way to pick people up. Remember – the main purpose of carpooling is to save money on gas. If you’re spending time and gas going to pick people up, it defeats the purpose. Only pick people up in your area. Only drop off near your area.

Costs & Compensation

Agree on costs and compensation before you carpool. Often times it’s as simple as splitting the costs each way. Sometimes you might decide that the driver pitches in a little bit less than everyone else. If you’re rotating different vehicles and some vehicles have lower gas mileage, you might have to discuss that upfront as well. Discussing the costs upfront, before agreeing to carpool, helps avoid awkward money conversations after the fact.

Clear Cancellation Policy

Make it clear to everyone how cancellations work. For example, send a text to everyone involved 24 hours beforehand if you need to cancel. This helps avoid hard feelings if someone suddenly has something come up. Carpooling, when done correctly, can save a lot of time and money while being a great social experience for everyone involved. The tips above will help you avoid many of the common carpooling pitfalls and make the whole experience smoother and easier.

Carpooling safety and etiquette
Some carpools are formed through matching sites such as RideshareOptimizer.com. In those cases, the prospective carpool partners will almost certainly not know each other. Before forming a carpool with another person, you may want to meet with them in a public place to get to know them.With rapidly rising fuel prices has come increased interest in carpooling. There are two major forms of carpooling: the familiar fixed carpools, in which the same people ride to work together, and casual carpooling, which involves the formation of ad hoc, informal carpools at park and ride lots.

If you work at the same place or live in a small town, odds are that you know people in common who can vouch for the character of each of you to the other. You should also not be shy about asking to see proof of insurance or offended if your prospective partner asks the same of you. Depending on the distance of your commute, you may be spending two hours per day with the other person, so it is important to have a good match.

Especially in the beginning, passengers may want to be picked up at places other than their homes for safety reasons. An unscrupulous person who knows, e.g., where you live, that you live alone, and your work schedule can use that information for burglary or other nefarious purposes. It is unlikely that your personal information would be used for such purposes by other carpoolers, but you may not want to take that chance. That is why some carpooling websites such as RideshareOptimizer.com note that you may want to list your pick-up location as a public place near your home such as a school or store.

Your mother probably taught you the Golden Rule, which is the basis of carpool – and most other – etiquette, but just in case you are a little rusty, here are a few basic guidelines for carpooling.

• Establish meeting points and times, and drop-off locations. Stick to those times because few things end carpools quicker than habitually late passengers and/or drivers. Establish a waiting time after which the rider will be left behind.

• If more than one person will be driving, prepare a schedule. If there are members of the carpool who do not drive or drive less than others, they should reach agreement with other carpoolers as to providing compensation for expenses of those who do drive. Although local laws and insurance rules usually prevent drivers actually charging passengers, contributions are always welcome, while freeloaders are rarely welcome.

• Exchange contact information with other carpoolers and contact drivers when you will not be riding so they are not sitting outside your house or the parking lot at your work waiting for you. Drivers may want to contact passengers as they near pick-up points so that the passengers do not end up waiting outside any longer than necessary.

• All carpoolers should come to agreement regarding issues such as smoking, music or other entertainment, whether food and drinks are allowed in cars, etc. Fortunately, passengers have plenty of options for privately listening to their own music, talk radio, etc. It may be that some riders prefer quiet so they can read or sleep.

• Drivers must keep their cars clean and tidy. No one wants to ride in a dirty car or share their leg room with items needlessly left in the car.

• Drive carefully. Aggressive driving or exceeding the speed limit may make some passengers nervous.

• Don t stop for errands along the way. Save them for after you drop off all passengers.

• Minimize the use of cologne and perfume. Some have allergies and others may simply not share your appreciation of the scent.

• Take care of personal hygiene matters before your ride arrives.

Following the above guidelines will greatly improve your odds of having a successful carpool.