Getting children to school and back is a big, daily challenge for for most parents and caregivers of DA students. Moreover, the commute generates 25% of Durham Academy’s carbon emissions. There can be benefits, of course, of regular time together in the car, but most adults are enthusiastic about reducing driving time.

What do people who already carpool to DA say about the experience?

Victoria Muradi (Director of Strategic Initiatives and Liaison to the Family Association) and I (Sustainability Coordinator) interviewed eight parents or caregivers who currently or previously participate in carpools. Here’s what we learned:

• Positive environmental impact was noted, but time savings were the driving(!) factor. Parents reported saving 2-7 hrs per week by carpooling.
• The carpool makes it possible to meet children’s needs while adults work full time schedules.
• Hearing children talk about the day’s events can be fascinating! Afternoon drivers sometimes get a whole different view of school.
• Most carpools are based on close proximity or previously existing friendships.
• Text messaging is the tool used for communication.
• When they work well, carpools foster closer social ties and emergency backup. As Parkavi Chellapa, parent of two Middle Schoolers said, “It makes the village, the community I can depend on.”
• Sometimes carpools have to be dissolved because of different expectations of timeliness or communication.
• Afterschool activities often change with the season, posing a challenge for keeping carpools going.

Guidelines

Successful carpooling is grounded in shared understandings and expectations. Often they are implicit, but articulating them can help, especially when parents and caregivers connect beyond established friend groups. Westminster School in Atlanta has many years of experience with parents organizing ride sharing, and they have developed a set of rules and guidelines that was shared with us by Erica Cummings, the sister-in-law of Middle School teacher Rachel Cummings. Here’s a set of guidelines distilled from the Westminster set. Does it seem to cover the right topics?

Counting Cars

We don’t know how many families are currently carpooling to DA, but we are collecting data on the number of cars that enter our campuses every day. The engineering class taught by Zack VanKirk has developed some car counting methods that are being deployed now and will be again in the fall.

And starting in July, the school will subscribe to the Carpool.School app to help families find each other and communicate about carpooling. Stay tuned for more information!

What about buses?

Many people have expressed a desire for bus service to DA from various locations where there’s a concentration of families. Unfortunately, everyone who has looked deeply into this solution comes away saying it just can’t be done. The expense, especially liability insurance, is stunningly high, and the shortage of bus drivers makes it nearly impossible to fill positions at this time. It seems our best opportunity to save time and reduce carbon emissions in the commute to school is carpooling.

Share your thoughts!

We need input from all perspectives to increase carpooling at DA. Please share your experiences, observations, hopes, and questions in a comment below. If you prefer a more private route, please email sustainability@da.org.