Car Pooling

3 of my friends at work and myself, have now started car pooling.

As most of you would have experienced, Mr.Aditya is doing "Over Time" in Chennai (and from news reports, in many other parts of the state as well). He has been at it from March/April itself. We have been suffering for quite some time in the bus.

One of my friends, Raj, was especially adamant about not travelling by the bus any more. He found an ally instantly in me. We then started hunting for other like minded people and got hold of Raji and Sudha. Luckily, Raj and I live close-by and Raji stays in Indira Nagar. Sudha stays in Velachery, but she was ok with boarding the car near Guindy. The only problem is that, only Raj and I can drive. The other 2 have cars, but the driving duty is taken care by their better-half.

Since this car pooling thingy involves financial implications on all of us, we had to first arrive at a proper estimate of the cost. Raj and I worked out the fuel efficiency of our cars and included a small maintenance fee.

I created a detailed trip sheet in Excel. I used this opportunity to upgrade my excel knowledge and came out with a whole lot of 'if-else' conditions. The excel sheet has received great feedback in my friends' circle at work. :D :D :D

Anyways, we have been Car Pooling from the start of May. The plan as of now is to continue till the end of June at the minimum. But in case I move to my new house, the plan would have to be revisited.

Going by car has given me a new lease of life. I feel fresh when entering office and even when I return home. In spite of the bad traffic sense that 99% of the road users possess, I still find so much peace in driving that I am ok with all that.

But I have a tough week ahead. Raj is on Bangalore the whole week, which means I have to drive on all 5 days. Yet, I actually look forward to it.