Carpooling Rates & Guidelines
The WMC strongly encourages carpooling but neither the Club nor activity organizers assume any responsibility for setting up carpools, the actual carpool, or dictating driver compensation. All carpoolers do these at their own risk. Compensation for out of area trips must be discussed and agreed upon when organizing carpools.
Carpooling rates for activities that require a specialized vehicle for the group (such as a vehicle capable of leaving the pavement, hauling gear, transporting more than four occupants, towing, and handling snowy roads) may be considerably higher. Carpooling costs should be shared evenly among a vehicle's occupants or all of the trip participants. Costs should be determined by the trips organizer and the vehicle owner(s).
There are real costs other than fuel and vehicle owners should be fairly compensated for the use of their vehicles. The following is a suggested guideline:
- Local canyons: $2 per passenger as a minimum. Consider a higher amount when driving to the top of canyons or other conditions such as use of an all-wheel drive vehicle on a snow day. Taking turns driving may be another viable option.
- Highway travel: 15 to 20 cents per mile plus actual fuel cost split by everyone in the vehicle.
- Off highway travel: 25 to 30 cents per mile plus actual fuel cost split by everyone in the vehicle. Highway miles to get there should also be at these rates.
- High clearance off road travel: This type of travel is slow and abusive to the owner’s vehicle. $5 to $15 per passenger may be reasonable for short trips, and longer trip compensation may be considerable more. Highway miles to get there should also be at higher rates.
- To restore a vehicle's condition after a trip a full service car wash and vacuuming may be included in the carpooling expenses.