Saving Gas Without Mods
 

Heya everybody,

Not usually a toot-my-own-horn kind of guy, but I'm too excited to keep this to myself. So I just recently moved closer to work (but not too close, frankly I hate the city I work in). Went from 35.6 miles each way to 19.1 :D

Nice big cost savings there right? Still a fairly decent length though. But wait, there's more!

A couple of people I work with drive past my on-ramp each day. Low and behold, there's a Park and Ride at that on-ramp too! So this past week I organized a car pool. Now, 19.1 miles each way has become 1.1 miles each way, aside from a day or two a week. Plus, I have people to talk to on my commute.

This week I'll get my lazy butt up earlier and walk to the p&r on the days I'm not driving, at least when the weather is nice. So, that'll essentially be going from driving 70 miles a day to driving 40 or 80 miles a week.

I can't understand why more people don't do this. Frankly, I'm loving it :thumbup:. Anyway, thought I'd share.

Just wait until you realize how much money and time this frees up. You will come to wonder how you ever put up with long commutes in the first place. You will also wonder why anyone would. I guess people are just used to it, or resigned to it.

For starters, Not everybody works same time everyday. Be careful making sweeping generalizations

Carpooling: a brilliant idea since the first gas crisis, and still an unpopular option.

I had the stupid long commute before because I found this job, in my field, a ways away from me.
This is true. In fact, the job I have now is the only one I've had where carpooling is feasible. However, judging by traffic there are a whole hell of a lot of people working at the same time every day.
And yet, so many people commute in 7-8 passenger vehicles.

How many people remember that the first gas crisis was in 1974?

I remember that one.

I remember quite well, I had just traded my '61 Impala Bubbletop for a '71 V.W. Beetle just a few weeks before it happened. Now I wish I still had that Chevy but I had a lot of fun with that bug. :D

That was 05 Before Xist.

I think this deserves it's own thread. I've heard a few stories about it here, and would like to hear more. I think a very important lesson was supposed to be learned but few did. Even the recent gas hike is just a distant memory to most.

I've said it before... the first time gas hit $4, the streets got much quieter and there were many more bicyclists.

For all of a week.

Then even though gas was still $4, it was back to business as usual- drivin' three blocks for cigs in Silveradopes.

The first gas crisis was WW2.

regards
Mech

Somethings don't change.

Four gallons per week can you imagine, people would freak.

Rationing on the US Homefront during WW II

Back then people walked.

Or choose from one of many other transportation options.

I bought my bike once gas hit $2 a gallon. I still need to make a trailer for it, then I would have a grocery-getter!

Hmm...

When I had a long commute (averaged 1:15 each way), I tried carpooling with a couple groups. It cost me so much additional time every day that I determined it wasn't worth the fuel savings. Inevitably we had to wait for people to show up and we had to spend time dropping people off when we got there and then rounding everyone up when we left. It ended up taking longer than just driving myself alone in my car. And if I rode my motorcycle, there was a HUGE cost in added time with a small savings in gas.

It would be interesting if you determined that riding your bicycle was faster than carpooling.

I selected my residence after making my career move; one criteria was to be within easy bicycling distance. Partly due to a nice bike-friendly short-cut, bicycling the commute was within a minute of the same time as driving it. :thumbup:

If the quota is four gallons per week per wage earner, my wife and son and I would be able to sell some of our quota, as we all ride together and only use about a gallon a day.

Just like the industrialists, you KNOW some savvy carpoolers and hypermilers would turn a paradigm like that to their benefit, because they would have capacity to spare and turn a buck on.

[edit]
Actually we would qualify for a B placard for an 8 gallon per week quota, as the wife in her job generates a tremendous amount of recycled textile fiber and sells it along. In a wartime paradigm they'd want her doing that, more and faster.

Although I'm only using about 4 gallons a week now by hyper-miling the crap out of my Festiva, I'd still carpool in a heartbeat if anybody worked the same hours I do and could put up with riding in a car with no a/c in the Florida heat. Not sure I'd have any takers, but I'd definitely be interested in it

How would you go about finding somebody to carpool with? Everybody at work who has seen my car thinks I'm crazy, so I can't post an ad there, lol!

I shortened my commute significantly and it now typically takes 40 minutes each way. I can't move to make it shorter though... since it would just add to my wife's commute.

Locally I have:
Welcome to RideshareOnline.com

Look around, you may have a similar service. You may be able to find someone on your local Craigslist in the Rideshare section (under Community).

When I was first in college, I laughed at some kid that did not have a car. However, I realized that he had a beautiful girlfriend who happily gave him rides.

To where? :eek:

Not everybody can be close to work, but a helluva a lot more can be than are.

I've shared driving with workmates a couple of times in the past as circumstances permitted, but in most cases it's just not practical.

I now work a rotating shift, that often changes unexpectedly.
Public transport isn't an option, two trains, then a bus that only runs a few times a day.

I choose to live in the mountains, so pick jobs that are close to the Motorway to minimize my commute time (currently 40 - 45 minutes to cover 52 km) and drive a small(ish) car.

I don't see too much "Science" in this article, just sensationalism.

The author confuses commute time with commute distance in one paragraph, quotes an average commute will cost $5,000 a year in the next paragraph, then contradicts himself with another quote of $818 per year in the following paragraph.

It's hard to take him seriously.