Questions about Carpooling?

oceanangelbeauty

My Dh has recently joined a car pooling group. He loves it because he feels it is great for the environment and etc. We have an older car circa 2000. The driver a new hybrid of some sort. The driver wants to drive all the time and picks Dh and 2 others up at a park and ride. My question has to do with the cost. The driver wants 8 dollars a day from all 3 riders?? Is this a fair amount?? They commute about an hour together. What do u think? Dh thinks it is too much money. I think it might be ok.

oceanangelbeauty

Thanks for the advice. We figure she is recieveing quadruple the amount for gas from the riders . Lucky girl. We are going to pay it but we think it is a little too much.

Mrs_Shmoopie

That's ridiculous!  Is she chauffeuring them or also going to work?  B/c, no, I don't think she needs to be compensated for normal wear-and-tear on her car that she would have to drive all by her damn self anyway.  And it's not like she's going out of her way to everyone's homes to pick them up either -park and rides are all right off the freeway.   Of course she wants to drive all the time -she's making $$ off the deal!  I take BART to and from work for less than $8 a day.  Obviously that's not an option where you guys are but your DH can probably get in a carpool for much cheaper... Do they have to go over a bridge? 

oceanangelbeauty

No bridges. We live just north of salinas and they work in soledad at the prison. And ya I think she is making money. Basically they are all paying what we did in gas in our older car per week. Dh is looking for other options.

SweetieP

I'd tell her that you're not paying because most carpools alternate who drives so it's fair.  $8/day is NOT fair.

oceanangelbeauty

Yes he and the two others proposed 5 dollars a day and she said no 8.

Structenggal

Then I'd ask her how she came up with the $8/day from everyone (doesn't that add up to like $125/week?  I agree that it seems high).  If the other 2 people aren't happy about it either, could the three of them just carpool and forget her altogether?  That might make her realize the $5 offer is better than nothing.

SweetieP

Structenggal:

Then I'd ask her how she came up with the $8/day from everyone (doesn't that add up to like $125/week?  I agree that it seems high).  If the other 2 people aren't happy about it either, could the three of them just carpool and forget her altogether?  That might make her realize the $5 offer is better than nothing.

exactly this.

alyssa7

For what its worth, I figured out how long it took me to drive a total of 86 miles a day to work with premium gas and it was $20 (this was about a year ago). Sounds like the drive is less than 86 miles and the hybrid owner isn't using premium gas (another assumption). I would say $8 each is a GREAT deal for the driver, not for you and DH. I would say $5 each more than fair, per day.

jsugrin

Structenggal:

Then I'd ask her how she came up with the $8/day from everyone (doesn't that add up to like $125/week?  I agree that it seems high).  If the other 2 people aren't happy about it either, could the three of them just carpool and forget her altogether?  That might make her realize the $5 offer is better than nothing.

I agree!  She's being totally unreasonable and they should tell her that $5 is more than fair and if she's not interested that they are dropping her from the carpool. The 3 of them would be better off without her.  If she wants to drive everyday that's her choice but expecting them to cover all of the gas, all of the wear and tear on her car is crazy!  If she wants to drive everyday then it would be reasonable to figure out what the gas cost is and divide that by 4 and there has got to be a website to figure out average wear and tear per mile and then divide that by 4.