Whether you love your job or not, it can be extremely frustrating to leave your home at the crack of dawn just to beat traffic. What's even more discouraging is leaving early for work only to be stuck in traffic. After commuting for two years into New York City five days a week, I was better off carpooling with a group of people into Manhattan. However, I wasn't aware of the benefits of carpooling. At the time, gas prices were barely above $1.49 per gallon and even then people complained about the high gas prices. I spent a total of $70 per day on gas and tolls. Plus, I kept my mechanic wealthy with regular oil changes and repairs.



I recall sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic one day and I wondered what it would be like to quit my job and work closer to home - eventually I did. Many commuters often contemplate quitting their jobs to work closer to home. What if you're unable to find a job closer to home? You have one of two options available, either move closer to your job or just deal with it. Thankfully, there is a better alternative and that alternative is called carpooling.

How do you get involved in a carpool?

It's easy enough if you are going to school or working in an office. You could post a notice on an ad site like Craigslist with your number and see if anyone wants to form a carpool or if there are any carpools available in your area. Or you could just talk to people around the office or school and see if they want to drive together. A great idea for students in college is to form carpools going home for vacation which will cut down on the amount of cars traveling long distances. And if you're shy, you could always put in a suggestion to management to see if they will set up an official carpool system in the office.