What is carpooling and why should you do it?

Carpooling is riding in someone’s vehicle with another person so that multiple people don’t have to drive themselves. Here we’ll talk about the benefits of carpooling and how to create the conversation with others.

Gasoline is expensive and will continue to become more expensive. Labor is expensive and will continue to become more expensive. Car parts are expensive and will continue to become more expensive. Inflation is expected to rise another 5.4% in 2023 on top of the 8% it rose in 2022. As companies demand more people return to their offices there will be more drivers on the road and demand for car maintenance and fuel. Carpooling is one of the few ways a savvy person can defray these rising costs as well as build relationships with others and reduce their personal carbon footprint.

Since very few people can afford a $1,000 emergency it’s important to save where you can. Using public transportation may be an option. 16 cents of every dollar the average American makes goes to transportation-related expenses. At an average household income of $71,000 that’s over $11,000 each year! You could put an extra $5,000 in your pocket starting tomorrow by leveraging carpooling.

In addition to saving money you’re producing fractions of the carbon emissions that you would if each person carpooling would drive alone. The average commute is about 30 minutes. When four people share a ride you’re reducing hundreds of miles of wear and tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Asking is the hardest part

Everyone fears rejection. After all, if you were to ask and be rebuffed you still have to work with these people. For that reason it’s best to put some thought into both who you’re going to ask and how you’re going to ask.

The most important thing to keep in mind is to spin the proposal as a benefit to the other person. Help them see what an asset carpooling would be for them and that will help guide the conversation along. For that reason one important thing to keep in mind is only ask people who share a route with you to join in a carpool. It can be tempting to ask someone that you like, someone you know you can spend time with but even if that only adds another 10 minutes to your drive you’ll grow to resent the extra 20 minutes each day. Even if you don’t particularly like a person (and they don’t have offensively poor hygiene) you can tolerate a drive if you both benefit. You don’t want to sour a good relationship over something so trivial. Now, the how.

As we said, couch the offer in terms of the other person’s benefit. The section above on benefits prepares you to have a productive conversation and sell the other person on carpooling. Money is a great factor to begin with because we all feel these macroeconomic pressures. However, you don’t have to overthink it. It can be as simple as a casual question. All people admire those that take action and it’s likely the person you’re thinking of asking is trying to work up the courage to ask you.