Are you annoyed at the constant rises in the fuel prices? Do you wish that you could get home from work on an evening without being caught in the rush hour traffic? Do you wish that you did not have to drive your car as much as you do? Well, there is an option for you: ridesharing.

Carpooling has been one of the topics on the top of the Government’s list as they attempt to cut down on the number of vehicles on the road. They have introduced carpool only lanes, helped businesses supply carpool only parking and supported insurance companies in lowering their prices by introducing discounts to drivers who opt for ridesharing.

Do you know of someone at work that travels the same journey as you? If the answer is no, there is no need to worry. You could still rideshare. How? Through the use of carpooling websites. There are a number of rideshare programs online for people all over the United States. Currently, woodala.com has one for those around the state of New York and into the province of Ontario in Canada.

The use of these ridesharing programs is secure, as you do not have to post any personal details on the website for everybody to view. Instead, you post the details of your journey, including the ‘to’ and ‘from’ points of your destination, and wait for somebody to contact you. You can easily be contacted through the site or you can leave your email address so that people can reach you a little more directly; which helps if you are not able to check the program site every day.

All details of the pickup and drop off are discussed and agreed and only when you are happy are your other details shared, such as your cell phone number. This is best to be done before the first pick up so that you can contact each other if there is a problem with the timings. There is no need to give out your address details though, you agree on a point of pick up; preferably, somewhere that is easy for both parties to reach.

Rules are usually put in place for the car journeys and it is up to the group as a collective to agree on these rules; the program will not set them for you, just offer advice. A few things to consider for rules are whether smoking is allowed in the car and whether the radio will be turned on or off.

Woodala has been in use since December 2009 and has grown in popularity since then. New users are signing up every day to get a chance at the benefits of ridesharing. You do not even need to be a driver to get the benefits of using the system and save money on your travel. Usually drivers will ask for a petrol contribution if you are not going to be doing any of the driving, but this will usually work out a lot cheaper than the use of public transport; something that is continually increasing as fuel prices go up.