From Carpool Passenger To Carpool Host

Hello everyone!. It's Thursday yet my work mode is like on a Friday mode already.

We call it as Friday mode because usually, every Friday, our workload is very light. I don't know why as well but maybe because most of our users are busy preparing for ther weekends as early as Friday? So, it is common that during Fridays, we as a production support team don't much work related stuff in the office but just talk with each other instead.

I cannot clearlyrecall if I've already mentioned innone of my articles the hassle I have in my daily commute going to and from the office. And it was actually worst now during pandemic because of the limited availability of the public transportation.

My work schedule currently is the same with the United Kingdom's business hours. My work sched is rotating to the following:

Shift 1: 2PM to 11 PM

Shift2: 3PM to 12 midnight

Shift 3: 5PM to 2AM

My work schedule made my commute journey super challenging!. Yes, there's available transportation (i.e buses) but the problem is, they do not go until all of the seats are occupied.

And since my schedule is against the Philippines business hours, commuters are very rare specially at around 12 midnight to 3:00 in the morning.

Hence, I have to wait atleast 1 hour. You're lucky if you are the last passenger to ride but if you are the first one, then you need to set your mind that your waiting time is 1 hour the least.

There was a day where I am able to arrive home when the sun is starting to rise already. You heard it right!..It's almost 5AM that time. That's the worst in my commute experience though during this pandemic season.

Good thing my husband has thought of finding a carpool for me. He joined different carpool groups in facebook and started to find some posts there from drivers looking for passengers. He also gave me the carpool groups and asked me to join as well.

So we both started to look for carpool drivers with available slot for passengers. Everytime I find spare time while at work, I tried to scroll my phone and find carpoolers so that I would be able to avoid the hassle of commute. After 1 week of finding for carpooler drivers who looks trustworthy in their profile picture, epic failed!. Until suddenly, I decided to post in the carpoolers FB groups as well so it will be the other way around. Instead me sending PM to each of the carpoolers who has same schedule with me, it will be the reverse. The carpool who found me to have same schedule with them are the ones to send me direct messagr and invite me to join their ride.

And it works! "Tagumpay ang Plano!".

One of the carpool driver suddenly sent me a direct mesasage and inform me of her schedule!. My work schedule that time is 5:00 PM to 2:00 AM.

But, there's a little problem. The pick up point going to office is just halfway from our home. I started to think for awhile and then after like 5 minutes of thinking (ang bilis mag isip diva?) , I said Yes!..hahahaha.! So it save the day!..

However, there's another problem! I learned that the carpooler's schedule of report to office is Wednesday and Thursday only. That means, there will still be days that I will have to commute!..But then, "mabuti na yun kesa wala!".

So I told my husband about that. Guess what! My husband offered to be my driver!..

And it is the start of our Carpool Host Journey!...Whenever my husband is willing to fetch me from office, I always post to the FB group to look for carpooler passengers. At the start, we don't know how much fare to get from the passengers. But then eventually, we get used to the fare differences per drop-off!.

And now, since we're back again to a hybrid work set-up, my husband is now always dropping me in the office and fetching me from the office after my shift. The reason being is, my shift schedule has changed and I have had trouble finding carpool drivers with same sched as mine.

And that's how our carpool host journey has started!.