HOUSTON — Are record gas prices suddenly making your drive to work much more expensive? Then you might want to think about a solution that was popular back in the 1970s and 80s: carpooling.
Yes, carpooling is making a comeback.
You -- or your parents -- might remember gas lines from the 1970s when gas was expensive and hard to find.
That’s when the idea of carpooling where two or more ride together to split the gas costs really took off.
Fast forward 40 years, and Latoya Davis is carpooling home from her hospital job. She’s one of many new workers signing up for carpools and van pools.
"They pick everybody up at the circle,” Davis explained.
Ron Bryant coordinates this one and says it’s a great way to avoid paying $5 or $6 gas prices.
"You save money on gas, and have a place to park,” Bryant said.
“Now let's say, like me, you have a 15-mile drive to work with gas at $5 a gallon, you are paying $4 each way to drive. That’s $8 a day and $40 a week!” John Matarese explained.
Add one rider and pay just $20 a week for gas. Add a second and pay just $13 a week.
"It is a lot cheaper. And then if you have a parking cost, you split that with however many people you have in the van too,” said Summer Jones, another carpool coordinator.
She oversees a community rideshare program and says it’s about more than just gas prices.
"it's just relaxing, it saves money, saves wear and tear on your car.”
The U.S. Census Bureau says carpooling peaked at 20% of all drivers in 1980 but fell to just 9% in recent years due to low gas prices.
Now that cheap gas is gone, riders like Latoya Davis are happy carpooling is making a comeback.
“I save gas and time. And I get to work on time too.”
Interested? If you can’t find any co-workers who live near you, google for local rideshare so you don't waste your money.