# Would you kick out the carpool driver who won't turn on the AC? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 12, 2008, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639 "2008-06-12T00:06:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/81 "2008-06-14T16:23:10Z")
[QUOTE=greatshakes] Why bring it up, if you don’t want confrontation? Just agree with the other two A/C lovers to pool alone. That way, if the truck driver wants to start trouble by asking why she was left at home w/o transport, she’ll be the agressor. Be polite! Just ignore her, and there will be no argument. If you see her coming, walk away. No confrontation. [/QUOTE] Well, you (the general you, of course, or perhaps the OP’s you) need to tell her, and tell her why. Just leaving her hanging is rude. Just say, “Starting Monday, we’re not going to carpool with you anymore because you won’t use the AC, and we’re very uncomfortable.” Repeat as necessary. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/82 "2008-06-15T02:45:48Z")
[QUOTE=Frank] Well, you (the general you, of course, or perhaps the OP’s you) need to tell her, and tell her why. Just leaving her hanging is rude. Just say, “Starting Monday, we’re not going to carpool with you anymore because you won’t use the AC, and we’re very uncomfortable.” Repeat as necessary. [/QUOTE] I think you need to add the line that “you may think you are doing it to save gas, but reliable studies have shown that belief to be a fallacy, and you obviously haven’t thought through how much more gas you will be wasting by driving alone because you cling to this behavior while enjoying OUR AC.” ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/83 "2008-06-15T14:05:29Z")
So, did they boot her? I want to know the end of the story!! ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/84 "2008-06-15T14:17:44Z")
We operate in my household as Driver Comfort…whoever is driving picks the radio station and the AC level. That said, there is a professional, health, and comfort issue here. Is this woman passive aggressive on her own? Maybe she doesn’t want to drive anyone, and this is her way of getting kicked out? Either way, just tell her the truth…the lack of AC makes riding with her very uncomfortable, and if she refuses to turn it on, you won’t be able to include her anymore. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/85 "2008-06-16T03:02:07Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by\*\* Hokkaido Brit:\*\* > So, did they boot her? I want to know the end of the story!! Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/86 "2008-06-16T13:19:47Z")
Monday! Seems like a logical day for an update. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/87 "2008-06-16T13:37:31Z")
[QUOTE=Jeep’s Phoenix] Boot her. But before doing that, purchase a container of the fish product of your choice and take it along on the final carpool ride in Demon Lady’s truck. Open the container, and stash it under a seat. [/QUOTE] This works best with two small fish. Tape one under the dash and leave one under the seat. She will find the one under the seat and never look for the other one. 😃 Frankly I can’t believe the others let her get away with it even once. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Unkempt\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b782af/32.png) [@The\_Unkempt\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Unkempt_One)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/88 "2008-06-16T19:51:27Z")
Drama. Lots and lots of carpool drama. Right now the air conditioning issue seems to have become the least of the carpool worries, at least for the next day or so until the no AC driver drives again. It doesn’t help that all of the new drama has also been created by this same driver. I don’t even know if I have the time, patience, and writing ability to accurately describe the new drama… I suppose that to make a long story as short as possible, it comes down to what happens on Fridays. I think that I should also go back and say that the driving set up is a little bit different than what I originally said. One of the four drivers works in a different office on Fridays. So, each driver has an assigned day Monday thru Thursday, and then three drivers alternate Fridays. Clear as mud? Ok, last Thursday the driver with the AC phobia said that she may not be able to drive any more on ANY Fridays because her roommate needs the car to go to job interviews, and then to work. So, this driver wanted to know if she could only drive on her assigned day (which I think is Wednesday) and then get a ride to work every Friday. At this point, she did not offer to pay for gas for the Friday ride to work. The other two drivers who are still driving on Friday asked if there was any way that she could work out a way to borrow the truck only every 3rd Friday, and let her roommate have it the other two. AC phobia driver said this arrangement would probably not be possible. So, the other drivers tried to come up with other options that would result in everyone driving the same amount. All of these options were rejected. At the end of the discussion, the truck driver said that it seemed obvious that the other two drivers didn’t want to work with her and that she would figure something else out. She called my wife later that evening and said that her roommate would drive her to work every Friday and also pick her up so that she could have the truck to use during the day. So naturally my wife asked if the roommate would mind driving all three coworkers every third Friday instead of driving just one person every Friday. Nope. At that point the other drivers were done making suggestions. So, each driver has an assigned day Monday - Thursday, my wife and another driver alternate Fridays, and the lady who won’t run the AC has her roommate drive her to work every single Friday. Of course there was a goodly amount of weeping and gnashing of teeth that went along with all of this… I had no idea that a carpool could be so difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Promethea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Promethea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Promethea)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/89 "2008-06-16T20:01:24Z")
**Unkempt One** , For the hard of thinking (i.e. me) - at the end of all this, is she out of the carpool entirely now? I read it through twice and I’m still not sure. Please, please say she that she is. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Unkempt\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b782af/32.png) [@The\_Unkempt\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Unkempt_One)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/90 "2008-06-16T20:15:04Z")
[QUOTE=Promethea] **Unkempt One** , For the hard of thinking (i.e. me) - at the end of all this, is she out of the carpool entirely now? I read it through twice and I’m still not sure. Please, please say she that she is. [/QUOTE] HA! I live with one of the drivers and I have had a hard time keeping all of this straight! As I understand it, she is not technically out of the Monday - Thursday carpool, since she hasn’t had to drive again since the whole AC fiasco. The other drivers are going to talk to her today and tomorrow, and if she decides that she would rather use the AC than drive every single day, then they will all continue with the Monday - Thursday schedule. For now, she is no longer involved in the Friday driving. Because she has decided to be stubborn, she now gets to drive every single Friday rather than every third Friday. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/91 "2008-06-16T20:39:09Z")
[QUOTE=The Unkempt One] Because she has decided to be stubborn, she now gets to drive every single Friday rather than every third Friday. [/QUOTE] Ain’t foreshadowing grand? ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/92 "2008-06-16T20:46:03Z")
Seems like a better solution would have been for her to swap with somebody so she could still drive twice on her Friday week, but not actually drive on a Friday. But she probably would have rejected that idea. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/93 "2008-06-16T20:51:56Z")
If I were you, I think at this point I would try to very nicely bow out of the whole thing, at least while they try to hash it out. I’d be willing to bet if you did that, others would follow suit and the whole car pool thing would fall apart. Perhaps you could start it back up later. BTW does the No AC person have any idea how much of an issue it is? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Unkempt\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b782af/32.png) [@The\_Unkempt\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Unkempt_One)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/94 "2008-06-16T23:37:59Z")
[QUOTE=Santo Rugger] Seems like a better solution would have been for her to swap with somebody so she could still drive twice on her Friday week, but not actually drive on a Friday. But she probably would have rejected that idea. [/QUOTE] This was one of the first options my wife brought up…my wife was willing to have her drive any day to make it fair. This was rejected by driver and her roommate. If it was only up to my wife, she would tell her to shut the FUCK up and drive alone…but there are others in this carpool. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/95 "2008-06-17T00:43:32Z")
I think I’d take **Joey’s** suggestion - I have no tolerance for this kind of drama. At this point (actually, well before it) I’d be throwing my hands up and saying, “Okay! I’ll drive myself and retain my sanity!” For my two cents’ worth, no-AC driver is always going to be trouble, because she lives in a world where she is the only person who matters. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/96 "2008-06-17T20:03:06Z")
No-ac truck driver is unreasonable. Limit your exposure to unreasonable people because it will never be easy. Boot her, I say again. ---
**Author:** ![greatshakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@greatshakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greatshakes)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/97 "2008-06-18T01:47:58Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] We operate in my household as Driver Comfort…whoever is driving picks the radio station and the AC level. QUOTE] In a volunteer, unilateral situation this is realistic, but this weasel is in a cooperative situation, with a tacit agreement of quid pro quo. And nobody should tell the pig any justifying tales of how they really aren’t saving on gas-this creature doesn’t deserve it, and most definitely will not listen. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/98 "2008-06-18T04:44:16Z")
The more I think about it the more I like the idea of booting her from the car while it’s still moving. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/99 "2008-06-19T00:43:29Z")
Hey **UO** , has your wife read this thread yet? If she did, any comments on this? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639.md?page=4)