Carpooling casually

Mom always said hitchhiking was a big no-no, but what if thumbing down a ride could make your commute less painful and help cut down on pollution?

In congested urban areas like Washington, D.C., and the San Francisco Bay Area, HOVs (high occupancy vehicles) are rewarded with designated express lanes. To benefit from the faster freeway lanes, commuters line up at the curb and hop into strangers' cars every weekday. Half ride-share, half plain old hitching, casual carpooling, or "slugging" as it's known in D.C., connects passengers and drivers at unofficial meeting places along common commute routes.

A three-passenger occupancy rule eases concerns about the weirdo factor, and a few etiquette guidelines help things run smoothly: the driver controls the radio volume and station, no food or drink, and no conversation unless the driver initiates.

Of course, there's an occasional crazy driver, but nothing's perfect, and it makes for a good story around the water cooler once you make it to work.

• Slug-Lines.com - slugging HQ for Washington, D.C., features morning and afternoon pick-up locations, etiquette, and a poem or two.
• 511.org - find a carpool or vanpool in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• eRideShare.com - find a carshare partner for your commute, cross-country drive, or local errands.
• Carpool Crew - rally folks in your neighborhood to carpool with you.

Directory categories: Ridesharing, Commuting, Traffic Conditions, Mass Transit, Hitchhiking

Originally posted on The Spark, a daily blog where Yahoo! Directory editors highlight new and interesting content on the Web.