carpooling

The Basics
Cut your gas costs by half -- or more
Carpools are good for a lot more than just saving on fuel. Here's how to find people to share your commute and some guidelines for a smooth ride.

[Related content: savings, cars, gas prices, budgeting, frugal]
By Diane Mapes
MSN Money
Gas prices may not be at an all-time high, but who couldn't stand to save cash now? Here's one way to chop your costs at the pump: by carpooling.

Sharing rides is easier than you might think. And by dipping your toe into the carpool now, you'll be sitting pretty no matter which way gas prices move.

"I easily save $250 to $300 a month," says Jeremy Chrysler, a 31-year-old vice president of business development in Tampa, Fla., who's been carpooling 37 miles to work and back for the past nine months. "I save twice as much by carpooling as I would by bringing my lunch to work every day."

A one-person work commute costs about $320 a month, or $3,840 a year, based on AAA's cost of car ownership and operation (54 cents a mile) and the average roundtrip commute (28 miles). Split that cost four ways in a carpool, however, and you cut your commuting cost to about $80 a month (a monthly savings of nearly $240), or $960 a year (a savings of $2,880).

And that's not even taking into consideration other benefits:

•Less time behind the wheel means less stress. The time you spend not driving can be spent doing other things: catching up on e-mail and reports, taking a power nap or jawing with fellow carpoolers.

•For areas with carpool lanes, more people in the car means a faster commute.

•The structured routine often increases productivity and creates better work-life boundaries.

•You're reducing fuel consumption, traffic congestion, and wear and tear on infrastructure.

•Fewer cars on the road cuts pollution and the nation's dependency on foreign oil.

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Yes, carpools are cleaner, greener and a simple way to save real money -- money you can use on those ever-rising food costs. During World War II, similar "car clubs," as they were known, were considered patriotic for their fuel savings. But how does one get started down this sensible stretch of the highway?

Neighborhood hookups
For Chrysler, it was as simple as looking in his rearview mirror.

"One day I looked back and saw two of my co-workers driving the exact same route as me," he says. "We looked like those guys in 'Swingers' -- three guys in our three cars."

Chrysler proposed that they join forces, and a neighborhood carpool was born. The group was informal at first, sharing rides just once or twice a week, but after a few weeks, it became more organized and added a fourth carpooler. At present, each member of the pool agrees to drive five times a month, which means no money changes hands (unless someone needs to make up for a lost driving day).

Carpool etiquette is guided by a few basic rules:

•The driver dictates the music (or lack thereof).

•Anyone running late notifies other members ASAP (and drives in alone if he or she is more than 10 minutes behind).

•Calling "shotgun" doesn't apply (if you're in the front on the way there, you're in the back on the way home).

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Other tips:

•Figure out a driving schedule, a route, pickup/drop-off points and how you'll handle gas money. Many carpools simply divvy up the driving, with no money changing hands.

•Establish policies regarding music, perfume/cologne, food and drink, smoking and errands. Some carpoolers will dovetail brief grocery runs into their commutes; others prefer to stick to the basics.

•Keep your car clean and safe, and always drive responsibly