With the fluctuations in energy and gas prices in today's economy, and the inevitable resurgence in the cost of oil that will bring about more expensive gas - it is a great idea to consider participating in a carpool. A carpool may be known by several different names, such as ridesharing or car share, but the principle is of course the same in all situations. A carpool involves the shared use of a car by two or more passengers, generally for the purpose of commuting to and from work.

A carpool not only helps those participating in it to cut down on the amount of money they spend in their daily lives, but it also can reduce the number of cars on the road, and therefore reduces the amount of pollution sent into the air. For these reasons and more, being a part of a carpool is a win-win situation.

The concept of the carpool has been around for some time, even as early as the second World War, when the United States government encouraged ride sharing to reduce costs and energy consumption. Typically, the members of a carpool will use their own private cars, switching off regularly so that each driver is using his or her car a fair amount. In many cases, each member of the carpool will contribute to the money used for gas for all shared journeys.

Carpool members may even be people who do not personally own a car. If this is the case, often that person will just pay a slightly higher amount of money for gas to the main car owner. It is relatively easy to find a carpool that works for you. It may even be as simple as speaking with a friend or neighbor who works near your own place of work to find out if he or she may be interested. If so, the two of you can plan your pick-up and drop off times and locations, and the manner in which you will divide driving time, private car usage, and the cost of fuel.