Guidelines and Rules

The following rules of conduct should always be considered when planning to lift share. As long as all users follow these rules, everything should run smoothly!

1. You have found a suitable offer/request. What do you do next?

If you have found a suitable lift (or passenger), please do the following:

• Contact the person personally, by telephone is best.
• If no telephone number is given in the advert, please contact them by email and suggest a telephone conversation.

Tip: If there is already a meeting point stated in an advert (e.g. Meeting point 6pm at the south entrance of xxxx Train Station by the taxi stand: red Ford Fiesta, numberplate xxx xxxx), you should still contact the person in advance, as otherwise the journey is not guaranteed and the driver will not necessarily be expecting someone.

2. When contacting the person, what needs to be resolved?

The following points always need to be resolved:

• Are all the details on carpooling.co.uk correct? (date, time and route!)
• What petrol contribution does the driver expect (Agree on a price!)
• Where and when can the driver pick me up, or can we meet somewhere (agree on a meeting point).
• Where can the driver drop me off at the end of the journey? (agree on a destination)
• How can we contact each other if needed? (swap phone numbers, note down names)
• Roughly how long is the journey going to take? (Any questions on journey length!)
• If needed: Questions about the type of vehicle, no of passengers, driving style, space for luggage, smoker/non-smoker, etc.

Tip: Make sure to agree on the travel costs before the journey starts. The travel costs are something to be negotiated. Our cost calculator gives a recommendation for costs, but is not binding. The cost should be agreed by telephone before the journey. It is not fair to renegotiate during or after the journey.

3. I have agreed a meeting point and time with the driver. What do I need to be aware of?

To be 100 percent sure that the journey will take place, we advise you to contact the driver again shortly before the trip (24 hours before the trip, check that it's still happening, and the agreements still stand). Whatever happens you should always ensure that the following has been done:

• Swapped mobile numbers
• Travel costs have been agreed
• Meeting point and time is agreed
• Destination is agreed

Tip: If you cannot go for any reason, tell the driver straight away. If possible by telephone and at least 48 hours before the journey. An email at short notice might not necessarily reach the driver, and cancelling by text message is also not recommended as it can be unreliable.