Carpooling

Transportation, for me, is a big ticket expense. I have to cross the Bay Bridge coming and going to work everyday. I drive 23 miles one way. This must be a big expense for lots of people, because I have to sit in traffic with so many others.

Those crossing the bridge with me have to pay a $3 toll (only going to the city). If I got 23 miles per gallon, which I don't - especially in backed up traffic, a two way trip would use 2 gallons of gas. So, say it costs about $3 / gallon. Therefore, I can expect to pay about $9 per day or $45 / week.

511.org and Craigslist are 2 popular Bay Area sites that have sections for people interested in carpooling. Craigslist is more expansive, you can go there and navigate to other metropolitan areas. Out of 7 months working here, I've carpooled probably about 3 to 4 of them with 2 to 4 persons. When there are 3 or more, we don't have to pay toll. The 2 non-drivers pay $2 each to the driver - which means that if I don't drive, I pay $2. If there are 2 people participating, we can't take the carpool lane, and we have to pay toll. On those days, the passenger pays the driver $3 to cover the toll - which is still about a third what it would otherwise cost.

If my math's right, carpooling for 30 weeks vs. driving myself would save me about $1000 and about 4,600 miles on my car, if I drive 1/3 the time. That's all on top of being eligible to use the carpool lane.

There are some downsides to carpooling. But like putting money into your retirement account, there's a point where you have to balance how comfortable you are with giving up a certain amount of independence to be more financially secure.