Re:Great Divide in How Americans Commute to Work
by umeshunni on Tuesday January 22, 2019 @08:00PM
(#18974656)
In my experience (US, SF Bay Area/Seattle) - people do this for a few reasons:
1. The coordination and time overhead of sharing their commute with another person is not worth the marginal benefits - HOV lanes are not present in most of the area to make a difference in commute time and gas prices are low enough that splitting a drive isn't worth the savings.
2. Their commute also involves other errands (shopping, going to the gym, dropping off or picking up children from school/daycare) that are inconvenient to do with another person in the car.
In summary, it's convenient to drive alone and you are not penalized sufficiently for doing so.
1. The coordination and time overhead of sharing their commute with another person is not worth the marginal benefits - HOV lanes are not present in most of the area to make a difference in commute time and gas prices are low enough that splitting a drive isn't worth the savings.
2. Their commute also involves other errands (shopping, going to the gym, dropping off or picking up children from school/daycare) that are inconvenient to do with another person in the car.
In summary, it's convenient to drive alone and you are not penalized sufficiently for doing so.