Expensive fuel – Not enough drivers use a simple method to save

The high fuel prices bring the ride-sharing agencies a lively influx. If you have an image in your mind of a backpacker without a shower sticking his thumb out at the side of the road, you’re wrong.

Thanks to the right apps and websites, you can now find nice and reliable passengers – and you can easily save half or more of your fuel costs.

We will show you which platforms give you the best chances.

BlaBlaCar: The top dog from France

BlaBlaCar is currently the most used platform for carpooling in Germany and is available in 22 countries. In total, over 100 million people use the service provider.

As a driver, you can advertise your planned trips including the return trip and determine the route including stops. Passengers can then book with you automatically if you wish and pay online in advance – this also gives you a guarantee that the people will appear at the meeting point.

The mutual reviews give you a quick feel for whether the drivers and passengers are reliable and friendly – the same applies vice versa for the driver and his driving style.

Special feature: With the booster technology, BlaBlaCar can also find passengers for sections of the journey, which can be particularly worthwhile on long journeys. This also works if you have not specified certain intermediate stops. On routes with several routes, however, the technology sometimes gets confused and, for example, suggests passengers for Nuremberg on the A9, although the route specified is the A93 via Regensburg.

Incidentally, since the beginning of the corona pandemic, the provider in Germany has no longer charged any fees for the rides. This means that you can currently use the app completely free of charge and the entire amount ends up in the driver’s pocket.

Alternative: car pool app from ADAC

In cooperation with the ADAC, ride2go GmbH operates several ride sharing portals under different names. The best-known of these is fahrgemeinschaft.de, which also offers an app for Android and iOS. Around 1.5 million people use the platform every year.

If you want to book or advertise a ride, you need to register free of charge. You can then simply contact other users via e-mail and agree on further details such as the exact meeting point.

With the rising fuel prices, the number of daily searches has roughly tripled to over 50,000, says Sven Domroes from ride2go.

Special feature: The platform is completely free, so there are no fees when booking shared rides. However, this also means that payment takes place in cash on site and there is a greater risk that passengers will not show up without cancellation.

In some cases, there are also trips that are offered for zero euros – this often means carpooling, where you can take turns on daily or weekly trips. This also saves 50 percent of fuel costs.

Basic rules for carpooling

Carpooling brings a wide variety of people together. In order for such a journey to be pleasant for everyone, there are a few things to consider. Here are some tips for that:

• Baggage: Be sure to talk in advance about the size of the backpacks or suitcases you are taking with you, so that everything will fit in the car later.
• Meeting points: Be open to suggestions for alternative meeting points, as long as the other person asks politely and they are close to your planned route.
• To eat and drink: If you don’t want people to drink or eat while driving, you have every right to do so – communicate this accordingly, but also allow a short stopover on longer journeys.
• Breaks: As a driver, you should clearly communicate at the outset whether you are planning to take a fixed break or if you need to stop at any time to go to the toilet or smoke.
• Cleanliness: The interior of the car should be neat so that passengers feel comfortable. A tidy trunk and clean upholstery are also included.
• Willingness to talk: Some people want to chat a lot, others prefer to listen to music or sleep – this usually comes naturally, but if you have trouble concentrating while driving, be sure to notice it.
• cruising speed: If you like to drive quickly – i.e. faster than the recommended speed of 130 km/h on the motorway – arrange this beforehand, because otherwise some passengers may feel unsafe. That always depends on the vehicle.
• Seats: Passengers come in all sizes and in most cases they agree among themselves who wants to sit where. However, you can also indicate here that taller people sit better in the front.
• back seat: It is uncomfortable for most passengers to sit in the back seat with three people. This is especially true for longer journeys. So keep that in mind when placing your ad.

As a driver, you should of course be sure to drive safely without jostling, risky overtaking maneuvers or excessive speed. After all, you are not only responsible for your own well-being.

Rides for women only

If you are a woman and want to offer or use a ride but feel unsafe with strangers in the car, BlaBlaCar has a special Ladies Only option. These journeys are not visible to male users who are not logged in.

But you can also include a corresponding note in the description of your ad on Fahrgemeinschaft.de and only answer inquiries from women.

The general rule: When communicating before the ride, try to get to know the person a little bit. A short phone call to make arrangements can also help to get a feel for the person you are talking to. You can also inform a person you trust about this before you travel together.