How to Save Money on Gas
During WW2 we had gas shortages and gas rationing which, as I recall, divided into 3 categories — A was for those who needed to drive to a store from home for food and got enough gas to do so about once a week, B for driving to work, and C for unlimited use such as police or or fire departments.
Supplementing all of this were two marvelous practices — hitch hiking and car pooling. The first involve sticking up one’s thumb pointing in the direction one needed to travel and people would pick you up and carry you in that direction. I traveled hundreds of miles this way as a teen and had only one old dude put a hand on my knee at which I asked out at the next cross road with no problems. Unhappily a decade or so after the war ended there were some grim tales of abuses and the practice faded away.
Car pooling was the other gas saving practice. Guys would share car uses to get to work and such. I recall as late as the late 1950s guys car pooling to the factory where I was working in East Hartford, Conn. from as far away as Vermont and New Hampshire — hundreds of miles round trips and great gas savings.
Perhaps we should redo some of these saving devices? There could be some hazards with hitch hiking, but probably not that many if one uses one’s smarts in choosing riders and people to ride with.
What do you think?
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1 user commented in " How to Save Money on Gas "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a Trackbackcar pooling is already done by many people.
And don’t forget the subway/bus/vans. Many places (e.g. WashingtonDC, Philadelphia) have car parks so you can drive to the subway/train station to commute to work.
But the sad news is that there are simply too many perverts out there to safely hitch hike…alas.
And don’t forget motorcycles…although if you’ve seen a couple accidents in the ER that might make you decide to buy a car.
Here in the Philippines, the “taxi” is a motorcycle with a sidecar. We use it all the time for errands, but my daughter in law prefers a driver and full sized car as a status symbol to do her errands. It’s a sign of success to prove our business is making money. Sigh.The pollution in Manila is terrible…luckily we live in the provinces.
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