Cost of car sharing

sarahc25

Apologies if there is already a thread out there on this subject, im just looking for advice on how to much to ask people for when we car share. So the situation is i come from Bandon, Cork every morning to college. I park at the park and ride in Cork which is 5 euro a day. I have two people that i give lifts to, however they do not always come back with me if we finish at different times. How much is a fair price to charge per person per trip? My petrol costs are around 35 euro a week.

Thanks in advance!

Atlantic Dawn

I'd say €15 a week or €20 if they did all the journeys back also.

sarahc25

So you think basically 2.50 per person per journey is a fair price? Just that one of the people seems to be having an issue with how much i am asking for which got me wondering. She basically was saying that technically passengers are free on the park and ride so she shouldn't pay for that at all. I thought the whole concept of car sharing was to split petrol and parking costs equally!

Colser

How much did you ask her for?

sarahc25

i was asking for 25 or 30 a week depending on how many trips she did with me, but it was just the two of us then. There is now a third person so obviously i will be asking for less as it is split three ways rather than two.

Colser

Id say 20e and you would all be doing well out of that.

Personally I would be very reluctant to have paying passengers in the car but that is your choice. I would have presumed that even if money wasnt discussed that they would throw you 20e ish a week anyway for the convenience of getting a lift rather than getting the bus but maybe not in their case.Do you know them well?

sarahc25

Yeah i know i wasnt too keen on the idea but kind of got forced into it. Im too nice to say no! I didnt know this girl at all until i started college in September. That was my thinking too, the convenience of getting picked up from her doorstep and being dropped back there again every day. She doesnt drive so it is me that is constantly doing the 40 min trip (at least - depending on rush hour traffic) there and back every day.

The other girl who is now starting to take trips too is a friends daughter so i know i wont have issues with her.

Colser

Dont be forced into it by her,at the end of the day its your car and insurance,what did she offer to pay?

sarahc25

She didnt offer anything she asked me from day 1 how much did i want so i just said half of petrol and half of parking which was 30e. Now 6 weeks in she is questioning that! I did tell her that if she wasnt happy with that arrangement then she should look for alternative ways of getting into college. I know for a fact the bus would cost around 15e a day so she is not being ripped off thats for sure!!

endacl

sarahc25 wrote: »

So you think basically 2.50 per person per journey is a fair price? Just that one of the people seems to be having an issue with how much i am asking for which got me wondering. She basically was saying that technically passengers are free on the park and ride so she shouldn't pay for that at all. I thought the whole concept of car sharing was to split petrol and parking costs equally!

My response would be something along the lines of 'grand. Enjoy the bus'.

sarahc25

endacl wrote: »

My response would be something along the lines of 'grand. Enjoy the bus'.

Hahaha! Yeah i am getting very tempted to say that! Its obviously an age thing. Im 31 and shes 19 and has obviously has no concept of how much it costs to run a car!

joebloggs32

Tell her to get the bus for a week and then she might appreciate the lift more.
Apart from fuel and parking costs, there are many other costs that come with car ownership such as servicing, tax, insurance, nct, loan repayments and depreciation. She is only looking at the fuel consumption.
Legally you shouldn't be accepting payment by the way. Your insurance would not cover you if you are found to have been accepting payment for transporting someone.

kerry4sam

Just something else for you to ponder about:

We are predicted to have a really bad Winter. I know from experience when I had to drive over the County-Bounds to college in UCC years back how bad it can be but was confident in that car I had at that time.
My current car I am confident in driving; have driven on snow and ice; have been able to pull her back from dancing on black-ice...

You need to think ahead now also and how confident you will feel carpooling people, especially someone you don't know and is already causing you a headache over a very reasonable request by you.
Should you be the one driving / carpooling during this predicted bad Winter; God forbid should something happen, how do you think she would react?

Maybe consider your options; have a chat with her; think ahead and what trouble she could land on you.

Long Winter ahead.

I've confidence driving my car in snow and ice and would have no issues if someone asked me for a lift during that kinda weather, but how would you be though?

Just something else for you to ponder,
kerry4sam

Losty Dublin

kerry4sam wrote: »

We are predicted to have a really bad Winter.

Says who? The Daily Mail?

Colser

joebloggs32 wrote: »

Tell her to get the bus for a week and then she might appreciate the lift more.
Apart from fuel and parking costs, there are many other costs that come with car ownership such as servicing, tax, insurance, nct, loan repayments and depreciation. She is only looking at the fuel consumption.
Legally you shouldn't be accepting payment by the way. Your insurance would not cover you if you are found to have been accepting payment for transporting someone.

This is why I wouldnt have a paying passenger due to insurance cover,its not worth it imo.Its also a good excuse to drop her as she sounds like shes going to be a pain anyway.Let her sit on the bus at the roundabout in Bishopstown every morn ,it will be an eye opener for her.;)

Deagol

joebloggs32 wrote: »

Legally you shouldn't be accepting payment by the way. Your insurance would not cover you if you are found to have been accepting payment for transporting someone.

Thats not quite true. You are allowed to fair expenses for giving someone a lift. What you are not allowed to do is to transport people for 'reward' which is different. (ie, making a profit from it).

sarahc25

kerry4sam wrote: »

Just something else for you to ponder about:

We are predicted to have a really bad Winter. I know from experience when I had to drive over the County-Bounds to college in UCC years back how bad it can be but was confident in that car I had at that time.
My current car I am confident in driving; have driven on snow and ice; have been able to pull her back from dancing on black-ice...

You need to think ahead now also and how confident you will feel carpooling people, especially someone you don't know and is already causing you a headache over a very reasonable request by you.
Should you be the one driving / carpooling during this predicted bad Winter; God forbid should something happen, how do you think she would react?

Maybe consider your options; have a chat with her; think ahead and what trouble she could land on you.

Long Winter ahead.

I've confidence driving my car in snow and ice and would have no issues if someone asked me for a lift during that kinda weather, but how would you be though?

Just something else for you to ponder,
kerry4sam

Yea my car is an old banger if be lucky if it makes it through the winter. I have already told her once it gets bad i will not be driving and ill be getting the bus!

endacl

sarahc25 wrote: »

Hahaha! Yeah i am getting very tempted to say that! Its obviously an age thing. Im 31 and shes 19 and has obviously has no concept of how much it costs to run a car!

In all seriousness though, a regular lift is about more than the cost of running the car. I'd never do it, because I like to have the time and space to myself. I want to listen/not listen to the radio. Sometimes I don't want to chat to people. Sometimes I want to go off-route along the way. Maybe pop into the shops or a friend on the way home. Sometimes I don't want yo go at all, or start later. f you've somebody in the car who feels entitled to the lift, especially an entitled teenager(!), you're not free to do those things. You're not providing a service. You're doing her a massive favour, and giving up your own space to do it. She doesn't understand this. Tell her what you think is a reasonable contribution, and that she's very welcome to take it or leave it.

sarahc25

Thanks guys for your advice! I feel much better now i know im not the only one who thinks she is causing issues!

guylikeme

sarahc25 wrote: »

Thanks guys for your advice! I feel much better now i know im not the only one who thinks she is causing issues!

Let us know how it goes.

sarahc25

The plot thickens in that now another girl on my course is staying with the first girl i give lifts to and also wants to share the ride and split the 30e between them both. I have told them both that as of next week i will not be using the car as much over winter and that they both need to find alternative transport. I have told them i will do it for this week only and then thats it i am washing my hands of them! They have a weeks notice to sort something out. Feel so much better now i dont have this stress anymore! As if college wasnt stressful enough anyway!

joebloggs32

sarahc25 wrote: »

The plot thickens in that now another girl on my course is staying with the first girl i give lifts to and also wants to share the ride and split the 30e between them both. I have told them both that as of next week i will not be using the car as much over winter and that they both need to find alternative transport. I have told them i will do it for this week only and then thats it i am washing my hands of them! They have a weeks notice to sort something out. Feel so much better now i dont have this stress anymore! As if college wasnt stressful enough anyway!

Maith an cailin.

I'd say girl 2 moved in with girl 1 when she said come stay with me and you'll have lift to college with yer one and we'll be quids in when we can split the rent and transport