Unfortunately I did not have a lot of time to put into this post. My original plan was to discuss the enormous energy losses that are the direct result of poor traffic management. I have several colleagues who have spent a good deal of time researching this and the numbers are staggering. Improving traffic flow is one of the most cost effective ways to reduce oil use. I was unable to pull this data together for today’s post so I decided to write on another measure which is even more effective and costs absolutely nothing.
The approach does not require scientific breakthroughs, it does not require huge capital expenditures, and it is something most of us have probably done before.
It is…..carpooling.
Two people driving separately in 30-mpg cars use 33% more fuel than the two of them carpooling in a single 20-mpg car. The US could literally cut its vehicle fuel consumption in half if it simply doubled the occupancy of every vehicle on the road while holding total miles driven constant. There are several start-up companies that are working to make this closer to reality. One of the better known is GoLoco.org (this company was started by the same woman who founded Zipcar).
With the advancement of mobile technology lots of people are beginning to think seriously about forming “smart” carpooling groups. The basic idea is that a mobile-phone based program allows drivers to input your travel destination before driving anywhere. Other users (riders) of the system input their desired destination (their current location is already known). The drivers are notified of any riders that can be picked up and dropped off along the way. Some people are even exploring the idea of charging occupants small fees and automatically paying the driver for the distance traveled. This is essentially a distributed taxi cab model – where everyone that joins the organization can earn small amounts of money by allowing people to carpool with them. The rates would be substantially lower than a cab fare. There are obvious potential legal issues with this and cab drivers would strongly object however in theory it has strong promise.
Several people I know are considering several ways to begin implementing this. The most promising idea I have heard is to launch this carpooling system on college campuses where there are lots of people driving to the same places at a given time. Another benefit of use on college campuses is that it would provide students a great way to meet people. Of course launching this would require that all members of the group pass a background check and would require some form of feedback for drivers and riders. Obnoxious riders or dangerous drivers would get poor ratings that could lead to their removal from the system.
At any rate, my thought with this entry was to get you to start thinking about sharing a ride with someone on your commute. While there is certainly a convenience factor with driving your own car, there are likely opportunities for you to carpool that you are missing. As carpooling apps or phone groups further develop, the lack of freedom associated with carpooling may completely disappear – given the ever expanding capabilities of our mobile devices this may be a reality sooner than you think.
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#1 by Todd Metheny on November 20th, 2009 - 10:00 am
I’ve heard you talk about this before. It’s an interesting idea – that you could basically plug into a system and ride along with a stranger going the way you’re going.
I wonder what the liability issues would be as far as safety for the passengers/drivers. Hitchhiking is illegal in my state. Of course, it used to be very common practice. People picked up strangers and no money changed hands. For safety reasons, there was something of a societal shift away from this. I think it’s still pretty commonplace in Europe (I’ve personally hitchhiked in Europe).
Once upon a time I had a pickup – and I used to pick up hitchhikers all the time (okay, maybe 4-5 times), but I would ask them to ride in the bed of the truck for my safety. I don’t think I’ve picked one up since I started driving a car.
I’m sure you could alleviate some of these safety concerns with a screening process, but that’s not going to catch everyone. Would you let your teenage son or daughter participate in the program? How many negative news stories would it take to kill a program like this? It’s an interesting issue. Are we too guarded/dangerous as a people to participate in something that makes sense and is clearly advantageous for us, the driver and the environment?
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#2 by Rachel on November 20th, 2009 - 5:24 pm
Great post! I have not heard about this before but it sounds like a really interesting concept. I liked what Todd said above about the safety concerns. In addition, like you said, RJ, I think that the inconvenience may hamper some from using this sytem. Nevertheless, people are bringing their own bags to stores, recyclying even when they have to drive their bottles/cans to a facility, and buying organic despite the extra cost. I think our society is starting to be less self-centered and that’s great news for this possible future system. I look forward to your next post, and hope to hear more about improving traffic flow.
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#3 by Don@moneyreasons.com on November 24th, 2009 - 10:56 pm
Hmm, interesting post. Technology is just amazing… It really does open up doors of possibilities that previously didn’t exist.
I have to admit though, I wouldn’t carpool with another person unless I knew them quite well. A buddy and I did this last year, and it was very cost effective. I did miss my quiet time though. If gas prices rise above $3.00 next year, we’ll pick up where we left off.
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Todd Metheny Reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I’m in the same boat. I acknowledge that carpooling is better in a lot of ways – but I’m not sure I’d be willing to do it unless I was certain that I was going to feel comfortable with the people involved. I could see carpooling almost becoming like a dating ad – “I’m looking for a non-smoker that likes to listen to NPR in the car on the way to work;)”
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