Carpooling

This article is part of the Travel Theme. Electric vehicle Hybrid vehicle Ride-sharing Biking Category:Travel

Carpooling (also known as ride-sharing, lift-sharing), is shared use of a car, in particular for commuting to work, often by people who each have a car but travel together to save costs and in the interest of other socio-environmental benefits mentioned below. There are sometimes special facilities for carpoolers, including designated pick-up points and high-occupancy vehicle lanes which are also at times opened up to designated cars with multiple riders. Carpool projects have been around in fairly structured form going back to the mid-seventies, and in recent years have begun to make much more extensive use of the internet and software support systems. With the recent advent of mobile phones and SMS, there is a push to integrate these technologies into more flexible systems on the web. Ride sharing is an alternative to get to and connect with people at other large events, such as music festivals and conferences.

Carpools may be formed through word of mouth by friends and colleagues, or through online carpooling services. There is also another system, car sharing, which is often mistaken with carpooling.

[edit] Advantages

• Carpools save money. How? By sharing the cost of driving one car. In a carpool, you save on gas, the cost of parking and wear and tear on a vehicle.
• Carpools decongest roads.
• Carpools reduce pollution and carbon dioxide emissions thereby reducing global warming.
• Carpools reduces driving related stress for participants who are not driving on a specific ride. The participants take turns sharing their vehicles and driving with others.
• Higher occupancy rates also can reduce consumption of oil thereby reducing corresponding political and economic risks, emissions of greenhouse gases, common pollution.
• Carpools save considerable expenses from gasoline, oil, tires, car depreciation, tolls, parking, and in some cases insurance.
• Carpools may provide social connections in an increasingly disconnected society. New online carpooling services are offering new ways to make social connections through discussion sites and custom ridesharing services.
• Some larger carpools offer "sweeper services" of late pick-up options for people having to stay longer at work. One form of backup is an arrangement with a local taxi company.
• There are designated carpool lanes on highways (usually called High-Occupancy Vehicle, or HOV, lanes), which may make travel faster.Some businesses offer premier parking for carpoolers, and finding a spot to park one car is always easier than finding a spot for more.