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Mass Transit and Ride-Shares

Carpool Love Not quite friends, but unavoidably confidants, carpool-mates develop unique relationships. Often they are the first human contact a commuter has in the morning, and the first to get an earful of workplace frustration in the evening. The advantages to carpooling are unfettered access to carpool lanes, the savings in time, gas and mileage, and less time gripping the wheel. Creative carpoolers start book clubs, listen to Berlitz tapes, or argue politics. All those hours. All that deep conversation. Couldn't the carpool relationship become a romantic one? "People do develop wonderful friendships and every once in a great while something more develops," says Liz Calderón of RIDES for Bay Area Commuters. "Carpooling and vanpooling is a great way to meet new friends." To dive into ride-pooling, call 800/ 755-POOL or check out the Web site. RIDES provides lists of commuters with similar hours and routes and can even help set up the pool. [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]