5 Reasons You Should Carpool to Work

Do you really even like driving to work? Think about it. It’s lonely. There isn’t ever anything good on the radio. There’s that guy who gets on the freeway at the same time as you who always zooms up in his Audi and cuts you off. Jerk. And then you get stuck in gridlock for 15 minutes whenever you leave just a couple minutes late.

Here’s what you could do instead: Gather a few of your awesome coworkers and carpool to work. Here’s why:

Socialization: You could drive to work alone in silence—or you could use it to get to know people you work with and develop friendships. And those friendships at work may just help you feel more connected to the company. Half of employees who have a best friend at work say they feel a strong connection with their company, but only 10 percent of employees without one feel connected.

Save Money: A Commuter Solutions study found that 1.1 billion is saved by carpooling each year—and another source says carpoolers can save up to $600 per month by carpooling. Wouldn’t you like to have a little more wiggle room in the budget? Even if you only carpool with one other person, that would cut your commuting bill in half. And that’s pretty awesome!

Save the Environment: 1,600 fewer pounds of greenhouse gases would be emitted into the atmosphere every year if people would carpool just twice a week. So if you won’t do it for your social life, and you won’t do it for your wallet, just do it for the environment.

Stop Hitting Snooze: If you have to pick up Janet at 7:15am or Roger is going to be in your driveway at 7:30am sharp, you can’t hit the snooze button until 5 minutes before you need to leave. You’ll have to plan ahead—which means you will be much less likely to be late to work. Who knew carpooling could get you on your boss’ good side?

Slide Past Traffic: Many cities have carpool lanes. Using those lanes can cut your commute time in half. Think of what you could do with that 20 or 30 minutes every day! Learn Spanish, get ripped at the gym. Your call.

So maybe other people in your office haven’t realized how awesome carpooling is. Share this blog with them. Let them know that there are many benefits of carpooling. Then, tomorrow morning, pull up in their driveway and you’ll be on your merry carpooling way to better work relationships, a healthier bank account, better environment and sleep schedule, and less time on the road. Happy carpooling!