Last year was my first carpooling experience at UMBC. I always wanted to be a part of it, but for some reason wasn’t finding people to car pool with. It wasn’t until I thought I was going to have knee surgery for my torn ACL that I looked a little deeper, put my availability down, and thoroughly searched the site. Until then, it was easy for me to be lazy and feel satisfied with skimpily searching the site; because, I knew I had other options. But, the knee surgery dilemma made me get serious! And it didn’t require much more effort. I’m glad I did.

I ended up connecting with Jasper, a photography student, who like me, is also an older student, with a unique view point on life, which made commuting a lot more fun. I was no longer traveling this grueling distance and combating annoying traffic alone to attend class at the crack of dawn. I was now commuting with a companion in the journey of completing school. And it felt less lonely. And strangely, she lived right up the road from me, not even 400 meters away, and on the rout that I already took for school. So what the hell, why not?

We first corresponded via email, and eventually we phoned. She wasn’t the first person who I connected with on the site but her location and schedule fit best mine best. She offered to give me money but I ended up declining, because she was on my way to school and It didn’t cost me any extra to pick her up (and oh I ended up not having the knee surgery, so I was able to do the  driving). 

We started with a suggestive time of pickup, which usually always ended up being a little later and I’d send her a txt message before arriving. Sometimes she would need a ride other times she wouldn’t and she’d either tell me in the morning or the night before. But sometimes she wouldn’t respond at all; so in those cases I would just head off to school alone. Near the end of the semester both of our schedules got a little more hectic so it was harder to keep up with each other and the ridesharing because our schedules weren’t exactly the same. I had classes earlier then she, and she ended with classes later than I. So there was a little bit of compromising with both of us being on campus longer than maybe we both desired but generally it worked out and it was a good time

I think with ride sharing it’s very important to be clear with what both parties need and are capable of providing. Communication and holding up your end of the agreement helps prevent conflicts and misunderstandings. Be careful not to overextend yourself and agree only to what you’re capable of doing. Label the rest as a possibility rather than a confirmation; because, if you say you can do something then that other person is counting on you. I’m sure you’d find it disappointing and frustrating if what you were counting on fell through.  So be considerate of others by communicating clearly!

Best of wishes

Hope you find a friend to commute with

Christine Garrahan

Geography & Environmental Systems

Biology Minor

Senior