Commuters pull over, flock to buses, carpools

It's not for everyone
MARC's Gasnick says carpooling has loads of upsides, but it's definitely not for everyone. “We tell people to meet in person at a public place before they start sharing the ride together. And we advise people not to completely change their commuting habits right away — try it out a couple of times first to see if it works for you.” MARC also warns potential carpoolers about some of the things that can be irritating about sharing rides, such as waiting for other people to show up at a meeting place. The agency also encourages newly formed carpools to use a cost-of-driving calculator to determine how much each rider should pay. And don't hesitate to re-calculate the fees as gas prices rise.

Carpool etiquette — dos and don'ts
Of course, as well-mannered travelers know, there are other etiquette issues to keep in mind. Gasnick remembers one carpool that had a driver with bad driving habits. “They wanted to know how to get that person out of the carpool. We told them to try to be non-judgmental. Instead of saying ‘your driving stinks,’ try telling that person ‘We've decided to drive with someone else because we don't feel safe when you're driving.’”

For most other carpool etiquette issues, Gasnick points carpoolers to the agency's helpful tips. Among them, carpool members should agree on some ground rules, such as:

• Whether or not food and drinks are allowed in the car
• How long drivers will wait for slowpokes to show up
• The acceptable levels of perfume, cologne and cell-phone use.

There's also a handy list of advice short enough to clip, copy and distribute to all riders and long enough to cover many crucial “let's keep it civil” topics.

For example, while the tips don't specifically address critiquing hairdos of other drivers, it does advise carpoolers not to bring up “controversial topics like religion or politics unless you know your fellow carpoolers well.”

Bonus benefits
After a year of driving to and from work together, Moore and Madden know each other well enough to discuss at least one topic that might be taboo in other carpools: issues from work.  Madden says being able to debrief with his co-worker on the commute means he's ready to concentrate on and enjoy his family when he arrives home.

Harriet Baskas writes msnbc.com's popular weekly column, The Well-Mannered Traveler. She is the author of the “Stuck at the Airport” blog, a contributor to National Public Radio and a columnist for USATODAY.com.

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