The Best Carpooling Apps for You and Your Family

Soccer games, work commute, piano lessons…driving is an important part of getting your family members where they need to go on a daily basis. Read on to learn more about how carpooling apps can help get your family where they need to go.

For most people, getting into their vehicle to go somewhere is a part of everyday life. In 2016, about 76 percent of Americans drove to work alone, which means that 115 million vehicles are driven each day! While cars may be convenient, emissions are bad for the environment, and fuel can be costly. Fortunately, carpooling can provide an alternative that saves money and time! Instead of organizing it on your own, you can even consider carpooling apps.

What Is Carpooling?

The ridesharing industry has seen quite a boost in recent years. Companies like Uber and Lyft pioneered services where drivers could work flexible hours, and riders could easily find a ride using an app. While “ridesharing” and “carpooling” may seem like interchangeable terms, there’s one key difference: a rideshare service typically means a driver picks up a passenger and takes them to their destination. A carpool is two or more people sharing a ride to a destination. In this article, we’ll focus on apps and services that offer carpooling services.

What Are the Benefits of Carpooling?

If you’re carpooling in the USA, there are several benefits involved in using this method of transportation. Whether you’re a driver or a rider, reach out to others through a family app to organize your own!

• You Save Money by Carpooling.– One of the best benefits of carpooling to work is being able to save on fuel. Instead of spending money on the high cost of gas, you can split the expense with one or more people!
• Carpooling Can Help You Avoid Driving.– Many people like to drive, but the commute to work isn’t always much fun. Luckily, when it comes to someone else taking the wheel, you won’t have to worry about stress on the road. Instead, you can take advantage of the convenience of being the only passenger!
• Carpooling Is Environmentally Friendly.– Being conscientious of the environment has become a lot more important in recent years. Fortunately, carpooling environmental benefits include lowering greenhouse gas emissions, decreasing your carbon footprint, and lessening air pollution. If everyone considers these benefits, the difference in the environmental impact can be significant
• Fewer Cars Means Less Traffic.– Carpool lanes or lanes designated for “High Occupancy Vehicles” are available on many freeways. These lanes can help to speed up travel time for everyone, both single travelers and carpoolers.

How Do I Organize Driving With Carpooling Apps?

If you’re interested in saving some money, helping the environment, and organizing your own rides, there are plenty of apps to make it easy for you!

• Waze– You may already be familiar with this popular app that helps you avoid traffic and road hazards in real-time. But now, they’ve combined their traffic-avoiding technology with a ridesharing feature. So you can efficiently reach your destination AND reduce emissions.
• RideApp– RideApp is an advanced carpool app that helps users post, search, or request a ride for long distances (over 20 miles) as a driver or a rider. Reach your faraway place at a reasonable cost!
• Uber– Uber is one of the most popular rideshare apps out there. However, its carpooling feature, UberPool, is a great option if you’re not in a rush. The Uber app will look for riders along your route to fill empty seats in the car. It may take a little longer to get there with extra riders, but you’ll always see your estimated arrival time in the app.
• Lyft – Lyft is another popular rideshare app, especially in cities. It also has a carpool feature called “Lyft Shared,” so you can share a ride with other people going your way. Greet your co-riders with a smile—together, you’re saving money!

Best Carpool Organizing Apps for Parents

Between after-school activities, sports, summer camps, arts, and extra-curricular activities, it can often feel like you’re a child’s personal chauffeur. This can be a burden on your time and wallet when it comes to gas. Carpooling can be a lifesaver, especially if you have friends or neighbors who are going to the same place. Instead of attempting a confusing shared spreadsheet, try one of the following free apps so you can stay updated and connected in real-time with your fellow carpool parents and kids.

• GoKid– This award-winning family organization app makes scheduling and managing shared rides with other families easy and secure. With GoKid, there are no paid drivers. Carpools are invitation-only: you set up carpools with other families you know and trust in our carpool planner app. The shared schedule keeps everyone up to date. You can also get route optimization, automatic reminders,
• Carpool-kids–Create a carpool, then invite your friends to join with their kids. Scheduled carpool events can be one-time or repeating, and Pro users can sync with their iOS Calendar or Google Calendar on Android. Event updates by push notification or e-mail keep everyone up to date.

It’s Cool to Carpool (and use Carpooling Apps!)

We spend a lot of time in cars getting from point A to point B. But you can save a ton of money and effort by coordinating with friends, neighbors, or anyone going to the same places as you. Whether it’s for one game or every day, carpooling is a great solution, and plenty of carpooling apps can make the process a whole lot easier.