My wife started a four person carpool with three of her coworkers. Each of them drives every fourth day.
The carpool was going relatively fine for the first several weeks, until the temperature started going up. The problems started last week when one of the carpool drivers informed the riders in her two door truck that she would not turn on the air conditioning in order to save gas. So, for 20 miles of highway driving each way, this driver rolls down all of the windows and lets the air whip through the truck.
Today when all of the riders got into the truck, the thermometer in the car read 97 degrees. The driver looked around and said rather nonchalantly “No AC, sorry.” When my wife returned home from work her face was beet red and she was covered in sweat, hair completely disheveled from riding on the highway with the windows down.
The other drivers in the carpool have made it very clear that they are not pleased with the lack of air conditioning. At this point they are seriously considering making this a three person carpool.
So, what would you do? Would you kick this person out of the carpool, or would you tough it out so that you only have to drive every four days rather than three?
Personally I can take pretty intense heat. At the same time, I like air conditioning and have no problem paying for it.
I’d probably kick the driver out. Or, explain to her that when it is the other driver’s turns, they’ll be using AC. So they expect her to give them the same comfort–if she doesn’t want to, then she should look for another car pool.
The savings of any car pool are significant enough that going from a four person to a three person wouldn’t be that big of a dent in your savings.
Carpooling is supposed to be saving gas. It wouldn’t be a “serious consideration” thing for me. Either she’s out of the carpool or I am. That’s ridiculous. It would be one thing if y’all lived in a state that really didn’t get that hot but 97 outside means the car was probably 110 when they got in. And if you live in a humid area, its far worse. The air is so thick you can hardly breathe it.
So the other drivers are paying for the loss in fuel efficiency from climate control when they drive their vehicles, and this fourth person isn’t.
She may not want to pay for that loss in fuel efficiency, she may not want AC in general (some people don’t like AC in any circumstances.) But, if the rest of the carpool wants it, there’s really nothing wrong from a social standpoint in just saying, “Hey, we all want AC. If you don’t that’s cool, but we aren’t going to ride with you so you’ll have to find another carpool, sorry.”
Depending on the vehicle, and the speed, riding with the windows down can be as bad as the AC (not that it’s a big deal MPG wise either way). And as she is a person driving a truck, she is getting the best bang for her buck in the car pool. And being inconsiderate to boot.
Is it possible that she has no a.c. because she can’t afford to get it fixed? (It’s about a $500 repair, IIRC.) In any event, given the wear and tear on my work clothing with all that sweating, I’d have to boot her.
Threaten to boot her. Simple. If she wants the continued savings she will comply and turn on the AC. Otherwise, give her the boot, have her drive everyday, and continue to carpool, saving a little less, but being cool about it.
One day we tested it before she got in the car and it worked well. She was running late and wanted us to go and she would meet us in her truck. One of the girls started her truck and turned on the AC b/c it was like 90 degrees and humid as hell. She got in the truck and we said, “hey we turned on the air b/c it is so hot in here…hope you don’t mind” and she said…no no no sorry, no AC guys.
Mythbusters and other sources have busted the idea that your fuel economy suffers significantly when you run the A/C, with or without the windows open. Actually, in the Mythbusters straight up test, the car with the AC on got better milage than the one with the windows open.
I personally have serious problems with heat. Making me sit in a 97 degree (plus sun heat) vehicle while refusing to turn on the AC is a very serious thing that would probably cost that person my friendship. (Under the “I don’t associate with people who inflict physical discomfort on me” clause of the social contract.)
Boot her
or alternatively I am sure ONE of the cars must have separately heated seats. Just let her sit there and crank up the heat in the car seat. When she complains, you can let her know that is how you feel in her car
Boot her. If saving 75% of her gas costs isn’t enough, she should go back to driving and sweating alone. The rest of you will still be saving 67% even without replacing her.
Holy crap, boot her and then sic a priest on her. She’s probably a hell-demon. I know of no living soul that would drive in 95+ heat without AC by choice.
Yes, yes. She’s out. But, please, this sort of situation is delicate. This woman tried to cook your wife. This calls for doing things entirely the wrong way. Enact the following suggestions:
(1) The woman is henceforth known and referred to as “Chilly Willy”. Especially at work and especially to her boss.
(2) Your wife takes up smoking. But only in the woman’s car. Of course, she will smoke “Kools”. Any complaints will be quickly and summarily dismissed. Example: “I needs my Kools when it’s this hot, don’t you? Smell? No, it won’t smell - you have the bloody windows down! Secondhand smoke? Not an issue - you have the bloody windows down!”
(3) From now on, your wife will bring a cooler full of popsicles for the ride. They will be offered only to those who offer AC on their turn to drive. Chilly Willy will not be allowed to have a popsicle. If she complains about the mess or stickiness, that will be addressed with “we wouldn’t need these if you would turn on the goddamn AC!”
(4) That brings me to my next point. It sounds like the level of bitching has been tremendously low so far. It must be raised to epic proportions. Everything must be exaggerated to mythical proportions. And everything must be punctuated with gratuitous profanity (everyone cusses in the heat!) Example: “It’s as motherfucking hot as a goddamn toaster oven in the desert. We need some goddamn air conditioning up in this motherfucking sumbitch!” (The other riders should punctuate that statement with interjections like “fuck yeah” and “you got that shit right”).
(5) Pants are now optional. Bonus points will be allocated if the pants are not taken off until (a) after complaining about how sweaty one’s ass is, and (b) while en transit. Farting is strongly encouraged, as is squishing and sliding around in the seat.
I do, but I also have enough consideration to roll the windows up and turn on the AC if my passengers would prefer it (or if they’d rather not arrive at their destination looking like they just stepped out of a wind tunnel).
