Why sharing is cheaper

Riding alone in a taxi or a ride-hailing car means you pay for the whole vehicle, plus surge pricing at peak times. Driving your own car alone means fuel, parking and wear every day. A carpool splits one vehicle’s running cost between three or four people, so each pays a fraction — and it is a fixed monthly figure you can budget for, with no surge.

What you give up, and what you don’t

Public transport is the cheapest option on paper, but it usually means several legs, crowding and weather exposure. A carpool keeps the door-to-door comfort of a private car at a shared cost. For a driver, filling empty seats can offset much of the running cost of a trip they were making anyway.