Carpooling: Forms, Disadvantages and Influential Factors

Car sharing services are benefitial for some people and may be offered in two basic forms: static and dynamic car sharing. In static car sharing, users can request to offer or demand a ride. Successful matches between users occur when users find each other based on the request which was published. The application gathers a lot of data, helping users to narrow their search based on their preferences. However, it must be noted that it doesn’t work in real time and users can only communicate through emails which can cause gaps in exchange of information. On the other hand, dynamic car sharing is a form of car sharing which is heavily reliant on technology and smartphones. It allows users access to the application in real time and the GPS tracker helps pinpoint the exact location of the fleet of vehicles. The application finds overlapping routes based on the inputs of the users. The users can choose to operate the application either as a driver or a passenger. The driver is the one responsible for deciding which routes are to be taken. He will enter the origin and destination, time of departure, car model, color and license plate numbers of the car. The driver will ultimately accept or reject the request of passengers to access the car. The passenger provides relevant data which includes his or her existing location, destination location and desired departure time. The passenger will ride. The passenger then meets the driver at a predetermined meeting point and time after the driver accepts his or her ride request.

Disadvantages of Carpooling

Nevertheless, carpooling  have some negative sides: 

1. There aren't much freedom or flexibility with schedule and activities. Because there are several people traveling together, you usually have to leave at the same time. So if you want to do errands, go out for lunch, or have other plans after work, it will be more difficult to do these since you have a whole bunch of people to consider. Aside from that, if one person is running late, everyone’s schedule will be affected, so being time conscious is very important.
2. There isn't much privacy. If you like to spend your travel time meditating or just being alone with your thoughts, that will be pretty impossible when you’re in a car with a handful of other people. Aside from that, when someone is sick, there is a high chance you might become ill too.
3. The designated driver is responsible for his passengers. In case you get into an accident, the responsibility lies most heavily on the driver. There is also additional pressure on the driver because that person has to make sure everyone gets to their destination on time and safely.

Socio-Demographic Factors

Socio-demographic factors, such as age, gender, and income, do not typically influence mode choice or a specific environmental behavior, and, as expected, Neoh et al. found no major effects of demographic factors on carpooling. Nevertheless, the analysis showed that women were slightly more likely to carpool than men were. Age appeared to have no effect on carpooling, whereas income, marital status, and number of household members were found to have small effect sizes, indicating that other variables were more important for making a decision to carpool.

It was subsequently identified that the following features were the main attributes affecting mode choice behavior for carpool and car-sharing. They found that when compared to non-carpoolers, carpoolers are more likely to be women, to have children, and to have more environmental concerns. Another recent study conducted by Malodia and Singla reveals the influence of cognitive, attitudinal factors on the choice of carpooling from a developing country perspective. Results showed that negative influences of carpooling were attributed to extra travel time/walking time to meeting points, along with meeting point waiting times.

Chowdhury and Ceder, in terms of social-psychological determinants, a number of factors are likely to work together to determine users' willingness to engage in car and ride-sharing schemes, ideally, in favour of utilizing their own vehicle. These include the nature of the trip itself, such as its purpose, the length of the journey, time of day.

Conclusion

There are different ways how people can use or start carpooling. Compared to non-car poolers, car poolers are more likely to be women, to have children, and to have more environmental concerns. Reveals the influence of cognitive, attitudinal factors on the choice of carpooling from a developing country perspective. Negative influences of carpooling were attributed to extra travel time/walking time to meeting points, along with meeting point waiting times. Overall if you are someone who doesn’t have a fixed work schedule or prefers to have flexibility when traveling from and to your house, then a carpool may not be for you. However, if you want to avoid public transportation and not having to drive to work every day, then carpooling is the perfect solution.