No longer just for kids going to soccer practice, the carpool mentality has taken off. HOV lanes are appearing on more highways and parking spots for carpool vehicles and “park and rides” are being woven into our nation’s infrastructure. Carpooling websites are exploding as more people are using these services to get to their final destinations. One of many carpool websites, Erideshare.com currently has 23,241 daily carpools and 9,936 cross-country travel carpools on record.
What are the perks of joining a carpool? Driving with a group comes with many advantages that will be useful for those who need to make daily commutes. First of all, using a carpool helps you save on gas and the more people you choose to carpool with, the less money you will spend. Instead of having four cars on the road with one person, there’s now only one car. This means there will be less traffic on the road and which will reduce our carbon emissions. If you are only using your vehicle one or two days a week in your arranged carpool, you are also decreasing the frequency of your vehicle’s maintenance.
This past week, CBS News New York noted the recent increase of carpoolers in New Jersey as gas prices have begun to rise again. Especially on major highways and bridges with high tolls, the entitled daily commute is becoming too expensive to do alone. Without an E-ZPass, it is $8.00 to enter New York crossing the George Washington Bridge, $13.00 to cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and $6.50 to cross the Throgs Neck Bridge. These small fees quickly add up for those who commute daily. Carpooling creates a sense of community with our neighbors and coworkers. Our society is on the path to rediscovering our local roots and carpooling is a perfect outlet to continue on that trend.
Earthgarage – Greener Car. Fatter Wallet