Transient nature of carpoolers

My best carpool partner and I haven't carpooled together in at least a month. She's my "best" because given the choice, we work exactly the same hours. Neither of us needs to accommodate the other by going in early or coming home later than we normally would.

We don't work at the same company [desirable in a carpool], or live near each other [Pam drives 15 minutes to pick me up, then we drive the remaining 45 minutes to our office park].

Those are immaterial, because we work the same hours.
Pam is also my "best" carpool partner because we have become friends.
Trust me, if you don't like your carpool partner[s], the carpool will fade away.

Unfortunately, it's easy for a carpool to fade away. Take Pam and me. Summer vacations and schedule changes -- when I have to come in early for bike to work events and off-site meetings, have interfered with our Wednesday carpool.

Pam saves even more by tele-commuting the other three days a week that she works, so her carbon footprint is light. I'm afraid I'm going to lose her altogether if she receives permission to work from home every day.

One of my previous carpools -- with four guys who worked for Bose -- is struggling to survive after I moved away two years ago. John and I were the most regular commuting duo. The other three knew when and where we met, and they were always welcome to join us, schedule permitting.

One of the three guys moved, and the other two frequently travel for business or have to work late regularly. They don't make good carpool partners. John could leave anytime, and pick up his work at home, by tele-commuting. Like Pam, John and I enjoyed each other's company, worked similar hours, and didn't live very close to each other.

I was sad to leave that carpool. I thought I left it in good hands, but apparently not. Carpools are fleeting things. A committed carpooler must always be on the prowl for her next driving buddy.

Some carpools last a long time. Take the case of Jack and John, two Raytheon engineers who live near each other in Holliston and have commuted together for 22 years.
They're two regular guys who see the value of driving less, saving more. They're quiet, understated and regular about their carpooling.

Elaine and I are a pretty good carpool. She just got a promotion, so her workday could go longer than I prefer. However, I think we'll survive the tumult, because we enjoy our drive together, she lives on my way to work, and she is mostly punctual -- except when she gets too involved in work! Because we like each other, we can forgive shortcomings and occasional slip ups.

We'll see how long this carpool continues. So far, we manage one or two days a week, mostly because of irregularities in my schedule. If everyone carpooled one or two days a week, the air would be a lot less polluted and most traffic jams would dissipate.

It's not that hard to carpool.