Although many people already carpool to work and elsewhere, there are far too many people in this country who choose not to do so. There are so many advantages to this practice, that it is almost hard to understand why even more people don’t do it.

For one, carpooling is better for the environment than any hybrid, or fuel efficient car is. Having a car driving everyday for every person driving to the same building is inane, especially if many of the employees live in close proximity. With less than half the pollution creating cars driving each day, air quality will improve and the effects of global warming will decrease significantly, at least around the US.

Second it not only saves people money, but it also brings down the price of gas. If the demand for gas decreased even just 10% by a large number of people carpooling, prices would drop significantly faster than they are. If that happened, maybe the economy could improve as well as consumers would have more money. This would also help other sectors of the economy, like car shipping services which have had to raise rates like all trucking companies due to the increase in oil prices. If demand for oil was decreased, Auto shipping companies would do better like the rest of the economy.

Many times, the very people who are complaining about high gas prices, actually have the opportunity to carpool with someone to work, but choose not to because they would rather travel alone. This is understandable: people like to be in control when they are driving, take their own route, listen to their own radio station and not have to interact and talk with others on their morning commute when all they want is alone time. However, with many people driving half an hour or more to work, this is a luxury that is becoming hard to afford with gas prices double what they were a few years ago. If you alternate driving with someone in your car transportation to work, or better yet, three or four people, the amount you spend on gas each year is instantly nearly cut in half.

Public transportation is the biggest carpooling system of all, and is another great way to save money and the environment. So even if you have the money and can afford to drive alone to work every day, at least consider carpooling with a coworker once in a while. You may find someone you like who lives near you, and who couldn’t use a little more money in their pocket?