Financial Benefits of Carpooling
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Carpooling is a wonderful way to get to work or school and there are more people out there willing to carpool than you might imagine. The problem is that many people are unaware of how to start a carpool and so they just continue driving. However, besides reducing traffic and helping the environment, carpooling will offer significant financial benefits to each carpooler. A brief overview of a few of the benefits are detailed below.
Gas
Gas prices hit record highs in 2008 and they may hit record highs again soon. There is no way to know when gas prices will go up again, but one thing is for certain and that is that they will go up once more. Either way, carpooling saves each member money. If a tank of gas costs on average $35 and you were driving a tank’s worth of gas a week then this was a cost you had to bear simply to get to work. However, if you add 3 more people to the mix and the cost of gas is shared over the period of a week you will spend much less money per week. This could result in savings of up to $100 or more per month. That’s worth carpooling!
Car Repair
The more you drive your car the more it will need to be repaired. However, if you are only driving once or twice per week as compared to five times per week then you will put fewer miles on your car. Doing this means that the car will have fewer mechanical problems over time and that your car will last you longer than it would have otherwise. This can save you a lot of money because once your car is paid off it will still be in good condition.
Shared Tolls
Many highways have tolls and if you drive to work each day this can add up to a lot of money over the period of a month or year. However, if you are carpooling this is an expense that can be shared between four or five people. That is much more affordable for everyone and worth carpooling!
There may be even more financial savings by carpooling, too. For example, if there is a carpool rule not to stop on the way to or from work then you may save money not stopping to buy breakfast or coffee every day. This could be a great way to eat breakfast at home and save money that way, too.
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