Carpool
Carpooling saves money, extends the life of your car and lowers your impact. It's also a chance to relax or have a good conversation. If you have a regular schedule and a medium to long commute, consider joining a carpool!
Your Impact
Action Steps & Tips
Introduction
-
Carpooling to work can help reduce commute times by using the carpool lanes and gives you time to connect with others, relax, or catch up on email.
-
For busy parents, carpools are a great way to get kids to soccer practice, study sessions, and other after-school activities that are out of walking distance.
-
Carpooling can save you money on fuel and vehicle maintenance costs.
-
And of course, by sharing the trip, you save gas and reduce emissions!
There are a few things that make carpooling easier—a regular schedule to your destination that others also share like a regular work schedule, workout schedule or school schedule. Think about your regular weekly schedule and see if there are certain activities where you could organize or join a carpool. Start with one day and see how it goes!
1Find someone to ride with
There are a few carpool apps like Waze Carpool, Scoop for carpooling with co-workers and Carpool-Kids to help arrange carpools with kids. Also, check in the resources section below for other resources in your area.
2Coordinate schedule and pick-up location
Once you find someone to carpool with, work out the details. Decide who will drive on which days and where you will meet up. Consider whether you are comfortable with the other drivers knowing where you live or if you prefer to meet in a neutral location. Some areas have a park and ride pickup area that makes this easy. Or, you can meet on a corner near your house.
Establish a time for each pickup. When there are multiple people involved, this can get complicated so make sure to write it down! Finally, decide how to split the cost. You could alternate driving or passengers could chip in for gas. Not all cars consume gas equally, so figure out together what is fair for everyone.
3Establish expectations, have a backup plan & go!
Establish expectations. There are some things you’ll want to discuss beforehand to avoid discomfort or disagreements down the line.
-
How long will you wait for someone who is running late?
-
Is eating or drinking allowed in the car? Would everyone like to stop for coffee?
-
Is music ok and if so what kind?
-
Is smoking allowed? Is perfume/cologne allowed?
-
Is talking on cell phones ok?
If you are driving the neighborhood kids, make sure the kids in the car know what your expectations are, and what the consequences are. Some examples:
-
If anybody screams, I stop the car
-
If anybody hits, kicks or bites somebody, I stop the car and the consequence is...
-
No name calling
-
No eating in the car
Have a backup plan. Even the best-laid plans fall through sometimes. People get sick. Life happens. You’re depending on each other, so make sure to have a contingency plan.
Relax and enjoy the ride! Bring a book, catch up on emails or enjoy a good conversation. Relax and enjoy the ride, you are making a difference!