FAQs

• What is carpool?
• Carpool 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.
  
  There are sometimes special facilities for carpoolers, including designated pick-up points and high-occupancy vehicle lanes which are also at time opened up to designated cars with multiple riders.
• How will carpooling benefit me?
• The benefits of carpooling are many. If you are currently driving every day, you're going to save money on your commute costs by carpooling. In some cases, depending on the length of your commute and the number of days you don't drive, the savings can be significant. You'll also enjoy less wear and tear on your vehicle because you'll be driving it less. You'll endure less stress on your commute. Finally, by driving less you'll be helping to keep the air clean.
• What are the advantages of carpooling?
• Carpools save money. When one shares a car/vehicle with other commuters he or she saves on fuel cost, parking cost and vehicle maintenance cost.
  • Carpools decongest roads
  • Carpools reduce pollution & CO2 emission thereby reducing global warming.
  • Higher occupancy rates also can reduce consumption of oil thereby reducing corresponding political and economic risks, reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, reduce common pollution, and save considerable expenses from gasoline, oil, tires, auto 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 ride sharing services.
• Why do I see matches that are no good for me?
• Our system matches trips automatically using the home/origin and work/destination locations that you and the other travelers have provided. If you think there is something wrong, send us an e-mail and we will verify your coordinates. We set the default search radii automatically. Our system logically selects the best potential matches in your area, and sorts them by the criteria you select. You should be able to contact the first few matches to follow up to see if you can arrange a carpool.
• What if I can't carpool every day?
• Some people like the regularity and cost-savings of carpooling on a daily basis, but that doesn't mean it's the only way to go. You can set up a carpool to operate any way that works for you and your carpool partner(s). Perhaps you'll carpool Monday through Thursday and leave Fridays open. Even setting up a once-or-twice-a-week carpool is better than driving solo all the time.
• How do I find a carpool partner?
• Ride share can help in locating carpool partner. Rideshare is having a Computerized database that matches commuters with similar commutes. Some Companies also have in-house assistance programs that help their employees in Searching carpool partners.
• I don't have a car-can I still carpool?
• As per typical carpooling, people should have their own cars taking turns driving, else you may set up an other arrangement in which someone else opts for all the driving and you may only pitch for fuel and parking charges.
• What if I need my car during the day?
• Being the designated driver of your carpool as you drive your car everyday. You can share expenses with the rider(s), and you've cut your commuting costs in half.
• Doesn't carpooling make the commute longer?
• After an initial adjustment period, most participants find carpooling only adds a few extra minutes a day for the drive to a scheduled pick-up point, and that may be a pretty fair trade-off for the savings.
• What if I can't carpool every day?
• Some people like the regularity and cost-savings of carpooling on a daily basis, but that doesn't mean it's the only way to go. You can set up a carpool to operate any way that works for you and your carpool partner(s). Perhaps you'll carpool Monday through Thursday and leave Fridays open. Even setting up a once-or-twice-a-week carpool is better than driving solo all the time.
• Can I place a carpool listing if I don't have a car?
• Yes. You can contribute to the expenses of the driver without having a car, and everyone saves. This may not be possible in all cases, but you can work out the details after receiving a response to your listing. Similarly, feel free to respond to a carpool listing even if you don't have a car.
• How much money can I save by carpooling?
• Quite a bit. If commuting is 75% of your vehicle usage, and you share your commute with two others, you will save about 50% of the total cost of your car, including fuel, maintenance, and depreciation. In addition there are also savings in tolls and parking fees that add up over time.
• How can I find a carpool in my area?
• When you register with carpool, you'll be included in a database of thousands of interested carpoolers. You'll receive a "match list" with the names and contact information of those persons who match your commute pattern (home addresses are never included on the match lists and home numbers may be excluded as well.) Just contact the names on that list and make your carpool arrangements.
• I've just found some matches using Carpool Connection. What should I do now?
• You can send an instant e-mail to any of your matches through Carpool Connection, and you don't even have to write the message; just send the pre-written one if you prefer.
  
  Once you've made the initial contact and the match has responded, we suggest you set up a time and place to meet in person to talk about possible carpool arrangements. Some good topics to address at this first meeting include:
  • How often you would like to carpool, at least initially
  • Who wants to drive, and how often
  • Meet-up/pickup time and place for both ends of the commute
  • If it looks like everyone wants to try out carpooling, you should:
    • Choose a date to start
    • Exchange cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses
    • Make sure drivers have valid licenses and auto insurance