Experienced Drivers Only… Please.

Date: 6/12/2012
Time: 8:30AM
Wait Time: 2min
Car: red prius
Audio: NPR

I should have known when I saw the red prius flip a bitch in the middle of Pierce street and land cock-eyed in front of me, ass still in oncoming traffic, that this was not going to be a very good driver. I got in the back seat, and passenger 2 behind me tried to get in the front.

"No," the driver said curtly when P2 opened the door, "I have too much stuff in the front seat - please sit in the back too." First off, the car was basically empty, so I have no idea what was in the front seat that couldn't have been pushed to the back. Secondly: It is super awkward to drive in the back of a car that has no front passenger, unless you are in the back of a cab or a police car. P2 got in a sat next to me. She was wearing dark glasses but I could see by her raised eyebrows that she was not thrilled. Then we took off down Pierce and I swear this lady could not keep her hands steady on the wheel. The whole Prius seemed to shake and swerve as she barreled down the road.

The problem with the Pierce street pickup is that, once on the freeway, drivers try to make a mad dash to the carpool lane through four lanes of super heavy traffic. I can always tell an experienced driver from a novice by how well and how calmly they navigate across the lanes (in fact, the very most experienced drivers will skip this altogether and head down the frontage road until we get Emeryville, screwing carpool altogether until they hook onto it just before the maze). This driver had the fear of god in her eyes as she looked in her mirror, over her shoulder, back in the review, over her shoulder again, and then jumped and lurched between trucks and buses to get all the way over. At one point we were almost like a ping pong ball between a big rig and a cement truck. I started gripping the door at Gilman and didn't let go until we were across the bridge.

Finally, when we neared the drop-off point, we got caught in the long line that forms as you go down the off-ramp. We were still on the off-ramp but not moving because of a red light at the end of the block, when she said, "Want to get out here?" On the ramp. While the other lane next to us was still descending off the freeway. P2, who was on the driver's side, peeled out and ran to the sidewalk in a hurry. But I would have had to open the door into speeding oncoming traffic. "No," I said, "This is not a safe place to drop people off. I will wait until we get to the sidewalk."

"Oh," she said, sounding confused, "Ok."

As the light turned green, she edged up to the sidewalk and then stopped, with cars waiting behind. Usually when this happens, drivers proceed through the light so as to not hold people up behind them, but not this lady. At that point I didn't care. I was just happy to finally get out of the car.

I'm the last one to talk about bad driving - the fact that I am not a comfortable driver is one of the top reasons why I will always be the passenger in the the carpool relationship. But if you are going to introduce two strangers into your car, please, at least have taken a driver's lesson!

The Worst of All

Date: Twice in the past 6 months
Time: 8:30AM-ish
Wait Time: don't remember
Car: 2-door
Climate: Smelly
Audio: Rattling of car parts

I've been taking casual carpool for about 10 months now and LOVE it, but I've had two horrible experiences, both in the same car. There's a small two-door old Honda Civic, part white/part blue (probably held together with duct tape!!) that I will NEVER get in again. The driver's a good driver but his car is repulsive, and that's an understatement.

The smell: combination of years of old sweaty man smell & residual cigarette smoke. Imagine the worst body odor smell times 10, plus years of cigarette smoke that has seeped into every inch of the car.

The car: small, and going to fall apart at any moment! The center console in front is missing so you can see the inner workings of the car, and the stereo looks like someone punched it into the car 6 inches so there's exposed metal and wires everywhere. Everything rattles constantly and appears as if it's about to fall apart like the end of a jenga game at any moment.

I'm not picky about the kind of car I ride in, but I DO NOT want to feel the incredible urge to shower again once I get to work, nor do I want to test my ability to hold my breath so as to not breath in this horrible smell during the 20 minute ride.

I love casual carpool but I will forever avoid this car like the plague.

Small & Suffocating

Date: 10-10-2011
Time: 8:30AM
Wait Time: 0min
Car: 2-door
Audio: Sports radio

There's never any rhyme or reason each day as to whether there will be a long line of cars, a long line of passengers, or both. Today was cars. Lots of them. I'm no car snob but I was disappointed to miss the four-doors in front and behind the car I wound up in.

I got in the back of a small, old, manual transmission car. For someone who's 6ft tall, this was less than comfortable. Then the traffic was horrible and the driver proceeded to ride the...clutch? gas pedal? Not sure which, but whatever it was, it caused quite a bit of fumes in the car.

By the time we made it to the city, I had a headache from fumes and bumping my head on the ceiling of the car every time we went over a bump. Great way to start the week...or not.

Creepy… but Jazzy

Date: 10-10-2011

Time: 8:20AM

Wait Time: 4min

Car: 4-door

Climate: FREEZING

Audio: Smooth Jazz

Ok, so I thought I'd give Creepy Carpool another shot. As awkward as it is, it is so damn convenient. I'm still not quite over the whole notion of riding in with a stranger. I never know what has happened on the car seats I'm sitting on, but then again, can it be ANY worse than any seat found on the various dysfunctional modes of public transportation the bay area offers?

The routine is as follows:

1. Approach the carpool pick-up location

2. Scope out who you may be sharing a car with. As you approach the line, you may want to speed up or slow down depending on who you might end up sharing a ride with

3. Approach the line, and realize that you and your passengers must be allies, you never know if your driver will turn on you. (Keep in mind, the person you're standing next to, may be in cahoots with the driver, and planted there as a diversion. Be aware of this.)

4. As the car approaches, at all costs, act like this is your car that you are getting into. Don't show hesitation, people will know you're new, and possibly a risk to the smooth rotation of carpool loading. Nobody wants to share a car with someone who isn't sure of themselves, especially in an emergency / carjacking / kidnapping situation that may occur.

To be continued

Creepy Carpool 101

The idea of getting into a car with a complete stranger is foreign to me, especially when it doesn't involve asking the question: "Can I get a ride with you?" The whole notion that I can walk up to a car and open the door and sit down next to someone I've never met, and have them say good morning, as we drive off across the bay, somewhat freaks me out. But for $1.00 from Oakland to San Francisco, you really cannot beat that.