Make America Car Pool Again

The article "Make America Car Pool Again" discusses the decline and potential resurgence of carpooling in the United States amid rising fuel and electricity costs. Historically, carpooling gained popularity during periods of economic hardship and fuel crises, peaking around 1980 when nearly 25% of Americans participated. However, by 2019, carpooling had significantly declined to about 9%, partly due to competition from ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft and changing commuting patterns accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these challenges, transportation stakeholders such as TransAction have sought to revive carpooling through initiatives like carpool matching services and promoting informal systems like "slugging" and "Casual Carpool." Recent developments suggest a renewed interest in carpooling driven by economic pressures such as rising gasoline prices, increasing electricity costs from AI data centers, and new urban policies like congestion pricing and higher tolls in metropolitan areas. The article also highlights how carpooling has historically served as a