California has two-dozen East Bay area locations in neighborhoods such as Vallejo, Hercules and Lafayette that all have on thing in common, “casual carpooling”. What is casual carpooling you ask? It’s the practice of forming improvised, informal carpools between drivers and passengers for the purpose of commuting.

Drivers in the East Bay pick up hundreds of random riders from designated spots so they can use the carpool lane reserved for cars carrying three or more people, (or two people in a two-seat car), and bypass the backup at the $4.00 toll booth and cross the bridge for free.

The most interesting thing about San Francisco’s casual carpooling is that it is totally unregulated and in no way is it affiliated with the local government or transit authorities. However, they are aware of it. According to the MTC, carpools account for 46% of morning traffic on the Bay Bridge equaling to an 18.4 million dollar loss in annual revenue.  Despite this loss, the MTC does regard this as positive.  They’re actually cool with it.Casual carpooling has grown recently because of the concern towards the environment, but it has been around for some time. The non-tolled Bay Bridge carpool lane was established in 1975 and the carpooling culture began to develop right after that.

Over the years, the carpool culture has even evolved its own unspoken rules: no cell phones, no food or drink, no smoking, and only the driver can initiate conversation. There’s no exchange of money involved. Drivers are encouraged to be considerate of passengers when listening to music, news or talk radio, as well as encouraged to drive extra cautiously. The private car becomes public transit and everyone, including Mother Nature, comes out ahead.

As far as anyone seems to know, (for East Bay casual carpooling), there have been no hapless incidents. A little caution and common sense seems to be key. Passengers can always decline a ride. For example, female passengers have been known to decline rides in two-seat pickup trucks. They simply let another passenger go first, and wait for a larger vehicle.

If such a transportation boom grew naturally in the Bay Area years ago, why aren’t we seeing them in more cities? Is it a social issue, or a city/state issue? If big cities would structure this, we could see enormous gains in social interactions, environmental changes and commuter incentives. My only concern is safety, but SF seems to have it under control. What do you think? Could this eventually become a national normality? Let me know what you think in our comment section.