6 Things to Consider Before Launching A Carpooling Business

Business

Roads all over the world are bursting with countless vehicles day and night. Little and big streets, long and short highways, are all brimming with bustling brooms, loud honks and heavy chug chugs from cars, trucks and more. Sometimes, you think that the condition of road traffic in urban cities is like a hopeless case, and it does look like that. Nonetheless, people keep finding ways to press forward through the thickness of such a daily concern. One of those ways is carpooling.

Basically, carpooling is sharing a ride typically with someone you know, but it’s not required that you’re family, friends or close with each other. On another note, the ride can also be shared with people you don’t know at all, but because of the carpooling service, you met one another. Yup, service! Because carpooling is often done as a business, it could be set like this.

The benefits of carpooling are amazing. From lessening personal hassles to helping the community alleviate the traffic problems, it surely has a good role. This is why a lot of people who have private vehicles decide to open a personal carpooling business. Right, a personal one because they are not working for a carpooling service company. Instead, they are the ones who established and are running such a venture, using their own car.

If you are thinking of doing the same, opening a ride sharing business, where you will be the driver of your own vehicle too, you must think carefully. Be wise, and don’t be reckless because though it seems quite simple, there are aspects to study and ponder on. Check out these 6 cons to consider before launching a carpooling business.


1 – Moving Based On A Fixed Schedule

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When you head a carpool service, you and your carpoolers must mutually agree on a plan of your appointments. You need to decide the time you must be at your meeting place from leaving home to going back home.

This could present struggles as you should move based on a fixed schedule. There are people who will be waiting for you to arrive, so you cannot insert unplanned activities in the middle of your carpooling hours. Needless to say, being punctual is a must. You cannot easily eliminate plans as well because of your contract and because of the carpoolers’ pre-made requests that you’ve agreed on.


2 – Route Limitations

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There are days when you choose to take alternative routes to avoid heavy traffic. This cannot be done when you’re carpooling, most specifically because there are route limitations. If there are carpoolers who live along the route of the jam-packed road you refuse to take, you cannot simply re-route unless there’s another way.

There are days when you spontaneously want to visit a store, a mall or a friend before directly heading home. You can never do this when you’re carpooling, unless your carpoolers are your close relatives or friends, who want to visit the place or the person too.


3 – Lack of Quietness and Privacy

Group Of Happy Friends Having Fun In The Car
Group Of Happy Friends Having Fun In The Car

Many love carpooling because of the company. Boredom and road stress are alleviated. However, the downside is the lack of quietness and privacy. If your carpoolers keep talking to you or with each other, yet you want some peace, that’s not easy to achieve. You will create an awkward air in the car if you call them out either.

Moreover, privacy is nowhere to be found. When receiving a call, you are extra careful about what you say because your carpoolers hear you. You cannot change your shirt in your window-tinted car because carpoolers see you. You’re literally beside, in front and behind each other, so don’t expect personal privacy in carpooling.


4 – Responsibility Over Carpoolers’ Arrivals to Appointments

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As the driver, you play a crucial role in your carpoolers’ day. Based on your driving speed, skills and tactics, you and your carpoolers will arrive early, on time or late at your individual destinations. This responsibility over carpoolers’ arrivals to appointments can put pressure and burden on your back. Especially on days when traffic is heavy, you will feel more rushed than anyone else. It’s like you’re a parent dropping off your kids to different schools.


5 – Risking the Sanitation and Quality of Your Car

Friends carpooling
Friends carpooling

It’s undeniable how you’re the only person who cares the most about your car. When you let other people ride with you daily or weekly, you expose your car to possibilities of getting easily dirty or damaged.

Not everyone sits properly like you do in your car. Not everyone is very careful. Especially if your carpoolers are your relatives, friends or neighbors who show signs of overfamiliarity, it’s like you’re sacrificing your car for the carpooling business. Also, when your carpoolers include kids, poor car seats!

Although your vehicle might be entitled to impressive tax depreciation benefits because of being used for business purposes, obviously, you’re risking its sanitation and quality for the long term.


6 – Accountability Over Carpoolers’ Safety

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With great power comes great responsibility. With your hands on the steering wheel and with your feet on the pedals come your accountability over carpoolers’ safety. Whatever happens on the road, particularly speaking, the bad, you might have a part in it.

Being a very careful driver is a must always, not only when you’re driving for carpooling.


CARPOOLING CONS

Carpooling is definitely a good deed, helping commuters, who experience the challenges of daily commuting, to skip them! At the same time, it is a responsibility. Especially when you make it as a business, you should think and work smartly to manage and drive the business well.

Take note of the cons that exist alongside carpooling. It is important to also look at them and not only at the advantages of carpooling because you should be realistic. This is a must because owning such a business is not really easy. It’s not just a fun road trip.

Nonetheless, if you are willing and able and if you are dedicated to providing great carpooling services to people, then there’d be no issue. If you have the time, outstanding driving skills, knowledge of routes, ace driving techniques, car maintenance skills and other necessities for a carpooling business, then go ahead, straight ahead.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nicole Ann Pore, a content writer from the Philippines, is the author of this article.

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