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Car driving and pooling are services that help reduce the costs involved in car travel by sharing the journey with other people. The expenses of traveling such as fuel, tolls, and car rental are equally shared by a group of people traveling.

These services are seen as more environmental friendly since there are fewer cars used to travel from one place to another, hence, reduced carbon emissions and traffic on the roads. Since the state and federal government are doing everything that they can to lessen the negative impact on the environment, they encourage car driving and pooling especially during high pollution periods.

Car driving and carpooling is commonly implemented for commuting from one location to the next. It is common for passengers to join for parts of the trip and provide a contribution to the expenses based on the distance that was traveled. This allows people to share journeys with each other and save money from the extra flexibility.

There are no known carpool clubs in Australia; however, it is known that the government supports it for the promotion of environmentally friendly ways of commuting and budget-friendly ways to travel.

Carpooling tips

• Get to know your fellow carpoolers to make the ride as comfortable and pleasant as possible.
• Cover the basic arrangements such as costs and schedule.
• Establish a method for reimbursing driving expenses. Since not everyone in the vehicle will drive, come to an understanding of how the costs will be shared.
• Be punctual. Decide how long the driver is expected to wait for you.
• Establish policies such as smoking and nonsmoking, music and volume, food and drinks.
• Respect the wishes of your fellow carpoolers especially when they want some peace and quiet.
• Give carpooling a trial run and see if it works out for you and your fellow carpoolers.

The advantages of carpooling

• It?s less stress commuting to and from the workplace especially for those who are not driving on specific trips. The participants can take turns sharing their vehicles and driving with other people.
• Money is saved because commuting expenses are lessened. Driving one car saves on gasoline, tolls, parking and vehicle maintenance.
• The need for parking is reduced.
• You have more free time on your hands and provide better social connections in an increasingly disconnected society.
• It reduces pollution due to auto emissions such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide thereby reducing global warming.
• It reduces traffic congestion on roads because of less vehicles being used.

The disadvantages of carpooling

• In cases of unfortunate events such as accidents, the driver of the vehicle may be sued by the passengers for being careless.
• It becomes difficult for the passengers and the driver to run errands when driving to and from locations. In cases of emergencies, the passengers may have to go through several inconveniences.
• Due to the changing travel patterns and needs, maintaining and organizing a carpool can be very difficult to do.