Yes, it can be more convenient - especially when one of the perks is reserved parking. Yes, it saves time - at least one minute per mile if you're using carpool lanes. Yes, it's nice to have some company to and from work - nothing calms nerves like a traveling companion. But let's get real. And also the reason why, nationwide, carpooling is on the decline.
Most people can afford to drive alone, so they do.
According to the annual State of the Commute report prepared by Southern California Rideshare, Californians have continued to carpool at much the same rate throughout the years. A telephone survey of 2,925 Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and Imperial county residents showed that, despite deregulation of thousands of Southern California worksites and decreases in Employer-sponsored rideshare programs, many commuters still choose to carpool. The table below shows how UC Irvine commuters stack up to the State of the Commute . Since i am part of an institution whose love for acronyms is nearly unsurpassed, i choose to embrace. If you're going to use them, i think that it's only fair to define them first.