Car Pooling/Lifts & reliability

TomTom

I'm a long commuter and now and then people might ask me for lifts to Dublin or grab a lift home with me which I don't mind doing. Most offer a few bob for it but I generally decline.

Recently though I offered a person a lift and told them I would collect them at their house on the way, when I got there, there was no sign of them, they were not answering their phone so after 5 minutes sitting outside I headed off. They rang me back about 20 min later saying they had over slept and would I come back for them, 20 minutes on a motor way is a long way and it would take 40 min at least for me to get there and back so I had to refuse or I would have hit peak traffic and been very late.

Once or twice before I was gone a mile from someone’s house and I would turn back but anything over this I refuse as commuting is a timing thing when traffic is involved.

It was recently suggested to me at home that I should collect some people on my way every day and charge them a few euro of diesel money and it would be a cost reduction but I declined as I feel the people not being out of bed would be an issue and when money changes hands things get awkward. The reaction from the people I could bring to work was less than favourable but I think I'm only being fair. I'll pick you up if you’re outside your gaff and drop you off on my route but I am not responsible for your getting to work on time and if it slows me down it isn’t happening.

I don't car pool for this reasons. It may be kind of selfish but just wondering if anyone else faces this issue as the few people I said no to about a regular commute are still a little off with me.

MysticalSoul

I have had the opposite problem - being offered a lift, and then the person who offered forgot they had offered, so ended up being late as a result.

TomTom

I'd be afraid of that too, nobody is going to give you a few euro a day for a lift, they would most likely offer you 20 or 30 euro for the week and if I can't travel one day or if I am running late it affects them and they have more or less paid me for a lift.

antoinolachtnai

If someone pays for their petrol after the journey is over it's all very well, but if you accept paying passengers without the appropriate insurance, you will have a problem if there is an accident.

In terms of the practicalities, providing transport services is all about punctuality and staying to the schedule, it doesn't matter if you're running a 200m commuter train with 1500 people on it or just running your mates into work.

Victor

Perhaps a phone call "I'm leaving the house now" wouldn't go astray.

Responsiblity can be a problem though. Sure, if the passenger sleeps in thats their problem, but when the driver sleeps in it becomes everyone's problem.

Del2005

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

If someone pays for their petrol after the journey is over it's all very well, but if you accept paying passengers without the appropriate insurance, you will have a problem if there is an accident.

In terms of the practicalities, providing transport services is all about punctuality and staying to the schedule, it doesn't matter if you're running a 200m commuter train with 1500 people on it or just running your mates into work.

AFAIK you can now carry paying passengers in your car for car share purposes. Can't remember when it came in though or what the exact rules are.