Carpooling Etiquette: A Guide for the Passenger

Carpooling is an excellent resource that people can use to get to work, school or elsewhere. It takes more cars off the roads if people are willing to carpool with friends, family and work colleagues. Read on to find out more about the kind of etiquette that passengers should display when they are riding in someone else's car.

It is good manners to be ready when the driver turns up at your home to pick you up. If you are still in the middle of getting dressed or you have not yet finished your breakfast, then the driver will have to wait for you to get ready and this could make you both late. Remember that if you have a set time that you have agreed to be ready that you should be dressed and ready to go when the driver pulls up. If mornings are a struggle for you, get to bed earlier than usual and set your alarm earlier so that you have plenty of time before you will be picked up and use the first few minutes that you get up to shower, get ready and eat breakfast. This will free up the rest of your time and allow you to relax until the driver arrives.

Drivers often pick up a lot of bad habits without even realising it such as eating, drinking or smoking in the car as they drive along. But if you will be the passenger in someone else's car while carpooling, you must be mindful of the driver's car and take care not to use their car as you would your own. The first cup of coffee of the day might be just what you need to start your day off in the right direction, but all it takes is just one sharp corner and that coffee will be all over the car.

Passengers who ride in someone else's car should consider setting aside some money to give to the driver unless they have set up a mutual agreement that specifies otherwise. If there is no such agreement, budget into your weekly expenditure some fuel money and give it to the driver at the start or end of the week. Try not to look at carpooling as a free ride. If you had to ride the bus or drive yourself each day, you would have to pay for that. It should not be any different when you are a passenger in someone else's car.