How much do I charge to drive a carpool?

amother

Hosta

Mon, Sep 04 2023, 8:36 am

The math isn’t adding up because you are charging one family for girls from three families. Let’s assume that one other mother drives to school every morning, you are driving home every afternoon (except Friday I guess), and there’s a third girl. The mother driving to school is doing half of all the driving for one third of the benefit (one girl getting rides out of three total girls getting rides). The mother you’re driving for is paying you for driving home. She is also getting her daughter a ride to school every day out of this, for free. And the third girl is getting rides both ways for free.

Or, if the other two mothers are switching off driving mornings and Friday drive home, they are each doing less than their fair 1/3 of the driving. And the mother you are driving for is still getting her daughter driven to school for free.

amother

Carnation

Mon, Sep 04 2023, 8:38 am

It is going to take much longer than 35 minutes since you have to factor in getting YOUR children dressed and in the car and then make the rounds and drive back.

As others have posted, come rain or shine, in sickness or in health you have made a commitment to drive four mornings a week.

Since you mention having to take your children - is it fair to make your children be up and dressed and awake when they don't have to be. They have their whole lives ahead when they have school and have to be up or as adults when they have their own responsibilities.

Honestly no amount of money would make it worthwhile. People do carpools because driving kids to school in the morning every day is a horrible inconvenience and so they choose to do it ONE day so that they have the other days without the commitment.

It would make much more sense for your friend to pay one of the other mothers who are already doing a carpool to do this because they already are doing the carpool.

amother

Molasses

Mon, Sep 04 2023, 8:49 am

amother Cappuccino wrote:

Yes and? 3x$60 (and remember she is only driving 4 days not 5 so if will be less) is $180 for thr month. OP wants to ask for $180 per week for 4 days of driving. It’s not even close to reasonable by the current standards. Although I agree that it would take at least that for me to be interested in doing the drives

Woah. People pay just $60 for a MONTH of door to door driving?

That sounds super cheap - in my area a BUS (so no house stop, no waiting, long ride, maybe no ac) is 75 each way per month.

Ops friend will not be able to get "carpool" driving for close to that price and should just do the $60 option.

It's like asking to have a coffee shop cookie for the equivalent price of one from a supermarket package.

amother

Vermilion

Mon, Sep 04 2023, 9:11 am

I would not do it because you have 3 younger kids that you have to take along for the ride no matter the weather or driving conditions. You also are responsible for 3 kids that are not your own. Unfortunately, accidents happen. Also, as a paid driver there could potentially be liability for which you will not be covered by your insurance company.

amother

Yellow

Mon, Sep 04 2023, 9:19 am

justforfun87 wrote:

Baltimore carpool drivers charge appx $65 per kid per way. So I guess for 3 girls thats 195 for the month. It's 5 in the morning so my math stops there but you can get an idea of what paid carpool drivers charge. As a mother I wouldn't pay $30 each time but as the one doing it I'm not sure I'd do it for $15 either.

This. I’m also in Baltimore and I do a paid carpool and I’ve paid carpool drivers in the past. It’s $60/65 per kid per way a month. This includes months where there is very little school due to chaggim, school break, etc.

As a parent who paid a driver, one of the drivers was absent quite a lot, like twice a month and it stunk but thats how it goes.

Last year as a paid driver, I had a planned trip to Israel and the mom had to pay someone else, so we agreed to a lower payment that month.

OP, charging the going rate in town could add up to a nice amount of pocket money for you. If I was free then, I’d do it for sure.

Also, you can post questions like this on the nshei Baltimore whatsapp group, in the baltimommies fb group, and in the nshei pickwick email group. If you do not belong to any of those, you should.

Highstrung

Mon, Sep 04 2023, 9:27 am

$60 a month sounds way too low.
I would say more like $85 - $100 a week for all three kids. It costs me to take a local taxi $15 a way (in Monsey) to get to work. That’s $30 a day for a 10-15 min drive.
About 15 years ago I paid a neighbor $20 a day for about a half hour a day to take my child off the school bus . She didn’t have to drive anywhere . Her own child went on the same bus , so she was there waiting for the bus anyway. I paid for the commitment and her being tied down.

Last edited by Highstrung on Mon, Sep 04 2023, 9:29 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Yellow

Mon, Sep 04 2023, 9:29 am

Highstrung wrote:

$60 a month sounds way too low.
I would say more like $851- $100 a week . It costs me to take a local taxi $15 a way (in Monsey) to get to work. That’s $30 a day for a 10-15 min drive.
About 15 years ago I paid a neighbor $20 a day for about a half hour a day to take my child off the school bus . She didn’t have to drive anywhere . Her own child went on the same bus , so she was there waiting for the bus anyway. I paid for the commitment and her being tied down.

The going rate in Baltimore is $60-65/month/kid/way. You cannot compare Baltimore to other cities, it’s totally different in every way.

Amarante

Mon, Sep 04 2023, 9:32 am

amother Yellow wrote:

The going rate in Baltimore is $60-65/month/kid/way. You cannot compare Baltimore to other cities, it’s totally different in every way.

Why would anyone do this

Is this for five days a week - four weeks in a month?

That is 20 drives which means you are making $3 per trip?

Who would commit to driving every day - whatever else is happening in their life for $3 per trip?

Maybe if someone were driving it anyway and the child lived next door it might make financial sense.

But to commit to driving three children - picking them up - bundling up your own toddlers and getting them settled?

amother

Cappuccino

Mon, Sep 04 2023, 9:38 am

Amarante wrote:

It’s usually a teacher or student who is going anyway. My daughter did this during her 12th grade year and made some nice pocket money for a trip she was doing anyway (they were all on her route). Otherwise it really doesn’t pay

Amarante

Mon, Sep 04 2023, 9:42 am

amother Cappuccino wrote:

Then the amount is completely irrelevant to OP's question since she is committing to making a trip for no other reason than to transport someone else's children.

There is not any way $3 would be enough to commit to driving three girls every day - and then having to deal with dressing and getting three of my own in the car early in the morning.

In my post, I stated that the only way $3 per trip makes sense is if the person is already driving their own kids and the other child lives very close by so it isn't a big deal to pick them up.

I think OP should just decline and say that it isn't possible for her to do but possibly say that if there is ever an emergency on one day, then she might be able to do it as a favor that one day.

amother

Tulip

Mon, Sep 04 2023, 9:51 am

amother Cappuccino wrote:

And now 12th graders are charging $100/month. I’d rather have an experienced mother drive than a 17 or 18 year old. I’ve seen accidents on the way to school and it’s typically a teen driver. And when it’s icy or snowy and I don’t want to drive, why would I want a young driver driving? Bad idea.
Let’s say it’s $60/month one way. So it’s $15/week, $3/drive. Charge that. Otherwise they can take the MTA bus which is even cheaper.

keym

Mon, Sep 04 2023, 9:55 am

Posters are saying $60/way/child.
So if it's 3 kids, but only 4/5 of the mornings a week, I would think around $150/month would be appropriate.
That's a bit under $10 a day.
So apparently the neighbor offering $15 a day is offering higher, but not crazy higher than community standard.
It would be up to you, OP, to decide if this is something that you want to do.

I don't live in Baltimore.

amother

Yellow

Mon, Sep 04 2023, 9:56 am

amother Cappuccino wrote:

Sometime but not usually. In Baltimore, everyone carpools. I am neither a teacher or student, but as I drive my son home every day (I’ve been burned with carpools so I do this), I take paying kids also. Tons of people do the same.

To those who are not in Baltimore, if you don’t live in Baltimore you wouldn’t get it.

amother

Yellow

Mon, Sep 04 2023, 9:58 am

amother Tulip wrote:

Funny. My daughter drive her bnos carpool in 12th grade a year ago and the mother of the girl promised to pay and never did. Wealthy women actually.

The TA MTA bus is so uncertain, I’d be scared to risk it.

amother

NeonOrange

Mon, Sep 04 2023, 10:00 am

I wouldn't do it.

I once did a swap. I picked up my friends dd and took her to day camp, along with my dd.

In return she picked up my other dd from her job and drove her home. Her other kid went to camp nearby.

Ww both gained from this arrangement.

amother

Honey

Mon, Sep 04 2023, 10:02 am

Wow prices are dirt cheap in Baltimore. I’m in Lakewood and I pay way more. If it costs that little to get your kid driven then why would anyone do the driving? I’m not getting it. So not worth the hassle when it barely covers gas money.

OP it seems like your answer is don’t do it, and ask her to take over your runs and you’ll pay her … lol