Carpool Coordination for Groups

Most club trips start and end at a trailhead or meeting point that's 1-3 hours from the city. Taking separate cars is wasteful — more gas, more parking hassle, more environmental impact. Good carpool coordination means: - Fewer cars at the trailhead (some trailheads have limited parking) - Shared gas costs - Social time during the drive - Reduced carbon footprint - Simpler logistics for the trip leader

The key to smooth carpooling is collecting the right information upfront. During trip signup, ask: 1. **Can you drive?** (yes/no) 2. **Vehicle details** — make, model, color 3. **Number of seats** (including driver) — only count seats with full seatbelts 4. **Registration number** — useful for SAR forms 5. **Earliest departure time** — helps with matching This gives you everything you need to assign cars after signups close.

Once you know your drivers and passengers: 1. **List all drivers** with their seat count and earliest departure time 2. **Assign passengers** to cars, filling each car before moving to the next 3. **Consider geography** — if you know where people live, group them by area 4. **Balance the load** — don't put 6 people in a car that seats 7 while another car has 2 5. **Assign a meeting point** per car — often the driver's location or a central park-and-ride For larger groups (15+), consider using two meeting points on different sides of town.

Send car arrangements 2-3 days before the trip. Each participant should know: - Their driver's name and phone number - The pickup point and time - The vehicle (make, model, color) - Whether they should bring cash for gas contribution Include a note asking passengers to text their driver if they're running late or need to cancel. With TheClubTrip, car arrangements are automatically emailed to all participants with their specific assignment — driver, passengers, vehicle details, and pickup time.

The fairest approach is to split gas costs evenly among all passengers in each car (excluding the driver). A simple formula: **Gas cost = (round trip distance × fuel consumption × fuel price) / number of passengers** For a 200-mile round trip at 25 mpg and $4/gallon gas: - Gas cost: 200 ÷ 25 × $4 = $32 total - Split 4 ways (4 passengers, driver excluded): $8 per person Most clubs use a flat rate per trip rather than calculating exactly. "$10 gas contribution per person" is simpler and close enough.

Someone will always cancel the night before. Plan for it: - **Have a waitlist** — if a seat opens up, offer it to the next person - **Share the driver's phone number** so passengers can coordinate directly - **Overbook slightly** — if you have 4 seats, assign 5 people. One person often drops out - **Have a backup driver** — identify someone willing to drive if a driver cancels The morning of the trip, do a quick check-in via text with each driver to confirm everyone is accounted for.