Editing Carpool (section)

{{Short description|Sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car}}
{{About|car owners driving passengers|the commercial rental of cars|carsharing|vehicles with drivers for hire|vehicle for hire|other uses}}
{{Redirect|Ride sharing|other uses|Ridesharing (disambiguation){{!}}Ridesharing}}
{{Distinguish|Vanpool}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
[[File:"Pool It" Sign North of Vancouver, Washington, Was a Reminder That the Gasoline Shortage Was Not over in March, 1974 and Sharing Rides Was a Good Idea 03-1974.jpg|thumb|upright|A sign encouraging carpooling during the gas shortage resulting from the [[1973 oil crisis]]]]

'''Carpooling''' is the sharing of [[Automobile|car]] journeys so that more than one person travels in a car, and prevents the need for others to have to drive to a location themselves. Carpooling is considered a Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT) service.<ref>{{Cite web |last=ioki.com - what-is-demand-responsive-transport |date=2023-06-26 |title=What is … demand-responsive transport (DRT)? |url=https://ioki.com/en/what-is-demand-responsive-transport-drt/ |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=ioki |language=en-GB}}</ref>

By having more people using one vehicle, carpooling reduces each person's travel costs such as: [[Gasoline and diesel usage and pricing|fuel costs]], [[toll road|toll]]s, and the stress of driving. Carpooling is also a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way to travel as sharing journeys reduces [[air pollution]], [[carbon emissions]], [[traffic congestion]] on the roads, and the need for [[parking]] spaces. Authorities often encourage carpooling, especially during periods of high pollution or high fuel prices. Car sharing is a good way to use up the full seating capacity of a car, which would otherwise remain unused if it were just the driver using the car.

In 2009, carpooling represented 43.5% of all trips in the [[United States]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nhts.ornl.gov/tables09/ae/work/Job24716.html |title=U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2009 National Household Travel Survey |publisher=U.S. Federal Highway Administration |access-date=2014-01-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023135048/http://nhts.ornl.gov/tables09/ae/work/Job24716.html |archive-date=23 October 2013 |df=dmy }}</ref> and 10% of commute trips.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/01/29/us/20110129-nat-CARPOOL.html?ref=us | work=The New York Times | first1=Haeyoun | last1=Park | first2=Robert | last2=Gebeloff | title=Car-Pooling Declines as Driving Becomes Cheaper | date=28 January 2011}}</ref>  The majority of carpool commutes (over 60%) are "fam-pools" with family members.<ref name=Elon>Stephen DeLoach and Thomas Tiemann. [http://org.elon.edu/econ/WPS/wp2010-01.pdf Not driving alone: Commuting in the Twenty-first century.] Elon University Department of Economics. 2010.</ref>

Carpool commuting is more popular for people who work in places with more jobs nearby, and who live in places with higher residential densities.<ref>Nathan Belz and Brian Lee. [http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/research/grad/12-0489.pdf Composition of Vehicle Occupancy for Journey-To-Work Trips: Evidence of Ridesharing from the 2009 National Household Travel Survey Vermont Add-on Sample.] Transportation Research Board 2012.</ref> Carpooling is significantly correlated with transport operating costs, including fuel prices and commute length, and with measures of [[social capital]], such as time spent with others, time spent eating and drinking and being unmarried.  However, carpooling is significantly less among people who spend more time at work, elderly people, and homeowners.<ref name=Elon />