Find people who live near you and work at the same place. Carpooling with people across town is not worth it. The time to travel to each persons location needs to be cut down as much as possible. Never carpool with people who work in a different place. This causes too much trouble after work. The need to board the vehicle and go home is greatest after a long day at work. Contacting people in a different location can be a hassle.

Join as small a group as possible. Van pools are great, but going to different places to pick up and drop off can be quite time consuming. Your comfort level must be maintained. The group should be the same number of days a week you work. For example, if you work 4 days a week, find 3 other people.

Get a set, workable driving schedule. Alternating days is common, but not best. The best way is to have one person drive each week. That way, the designated person on the current week knows not to plan anything else. A weekly routine is easy for all to adapt to.

Forget sharing gas money. Money causes problems among friends. If each drive an equal amount, the gas cost is already distributed equally. Tolls and like expenses can also be done on a weekly basis by the current driver as well.

Get in with people you know very well and on a personal level. You want no surprises.

Be punctual and reliable. Do not shirk your load and responsibilities.

Have a back up plan. If you have kids, you need a way home for emergencies. But, this can be down right impossible. So, the best way is to have a list of friends who have permission to get your kids from school and see they are safe afterwards. These people can also be a help if your child gets hurt. If you are married with kids, only one of you should carpool. That way one always has a quick way home. Do not expect to be able to go home on low level emergencies. You need to work things out with your boss about how you and your carpool buddies can get home. This is another reason why your carpool list should be short, not long. You can also line up other co-workers to give rides home to those in your group who need it if the driver goes home early. In short, plan ahead!

Carpooling should only be done by those who are committed to making it work. If you think it will cause problems in your home and family life, forget it.The biggest hang up to carpooling is having unreliable people involved. Do not be the unreliable person! Even if you vanpool or use other variations of ride sharing, you still need to be aware of the problems and concerns as stated above.