3 Carpooling Tips to Save Fuel

The concept of carpooling has been around since World War II. However, formal car-pooling structures, including HOV lanes and public transportation, have been around for about forty years.  Whenever our country begins to recognize a shortage of resources, we begin taking active measures.  Here are a few tips to save fuel by carpooling:

Swap Riding Poster from the 1940's. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

#1. Find other carpoolers.  This may seem initially like the hardest part of your initiative.  However, there are many ways to find people just like you to pool with.  First, check with your company human resources department.  They may have a list of carpoolers on hand – people you can ride with.  Secondly, check online.  There are carpool connection sites you can register with to find the right group of people for you.

#2.  Get organized. Once you have a group of people interested in carpooling, it’s time to organize your carpool. Here’s what you need to figure out:

* How often everyone would like to carpool?  Sometimes there are days which carpooling doesn’t work for you and/or your other carpoolers.  Create a schedule.

* Who wants to drive, and how often? 

* Where and when is everyone going to meet and get dropped off? 

* What is the start date? 

* Exchange cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses so you can communicate with them if there’s a change in your schedule. You’ll lose carpool friends fast if you leave them waiting for you.

* Make sure drivers have valid licenses and auto insurance – important!

* How much does everyone contribute to the carpooling program?  Gas and tolls cost money and it is everyone’s responsibility to contribute.  Additionally, if you’re consistently taking one person’s car then contribution to oil changes and upkeep isn’t out of the question.

Car pool lanes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

#3.  Establish policies.  Create a system of notification if someone is off schedule, has an emergency and so on.  Additionally, you may want to set ground rules for etiquette.  While you may think some things are obvious, others may not, so it’s best to be clear and upfront.  For example, what are appropriate speed limit rules?  What about smoking, eating/drinking, or texting and chatting on the phone while driving? 

Additionally, what do you do if you want/need to kick someone out of the group?  Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.  As a group, it may be good to decide how to give someone who doesn’t follow the rules the heave ho.

Carpooling is an exceptional way to save on fuel.  Instead of five cars on the road driving to and from work, you have one car on the road and you also save one fifth of the expense.  In addition to saving money and natural resources, you may also find you make some lifelong friends, or at least have some interesting experiences!

How to Organize a Car Pool to Reduce Gas Expenses

Today we are continuing our topic this week - ways to save gas (remember, saving gas not only saves you money, but also helps the environment, and the people who live in it!)

Image by Wildebeast1 via FlickrWho would not want to spend less money at their local gas station every week?  It would be hard to find someone who is not interested in conserving gas, but doing so is much harder than it would seem to be, at times.  One of the most obvious ways to reduce fuel expenses is to simply not drive, but for many people, that is really not feasible.  After all, most people have responsibilities that require them to be at specific places at certain times, and this in turn requires them to operate a motor vehicle to get there.

However, many people are not taking advantage of the somewhat popular practice of car pooling.  Car pooling has been around for years now, and while it has steadily increased in popularity, it still is not as widely used as it should be.  The reasons vary, as some people simply prefer to drive by themselves to and from places, and others do not know anyone that lives near them, or do not want to coordinate a regular car pool.  The reality is, however, if you want to save money on gas, there are few better ways to do so than by participating in a car pool.

Organizing a car pool can be fairly simple.  For instance, it can be as easy as posting a sign up at your work, or asking around to see if anyone who shares your place of employment lives near you.  If they live along your route to work, you can also simply pick them up every day, in exchange for a little monetary contribution towards the expense of gas.  This will not cause you any major inconvenience, but it will save you a lot of money spent on fueling up your car each week!

Image via WikipediaMany people only think of car pooling as a way to get to and from work, but there are many other times when a car pool is an equally great idea.  For instance, you can form a car pool with people that live near you for things such as going to the gym, shopping at the grocery store, or heading out to the mall.  If you are planning on taking a vacation, it can be a very expensive endeavor, especially if you will be driving.  However, if you pair up with a couple that you enjoy being around, you can all take one car and cut your gas costs literally in half!

It may not always be convenient to car pool, but the barriers are usually not that serious.  What you really have to consider is whether it is worth it to you to have the comfort of driving in silence and solitude, even if it means that you will pay the full cost of gas all by yourself.  Most people would rather have a little company, all while saving some money at the fuel pump.  That is why car pools continue to be a fairly common thing, even to this day.  If you have never tried car pooling before, give it a shot!  With gas prices being so high, there really has never been a better time than now to give car pooling a chance.  You never know, you may even enjoy the company and make a new friend or two!