Carpool lane dilemma

Rather than commute on occasion from La Cañada to Malibu, my brother takes Uber there. Gets work done while somebody else drives. Not a daily commute though. He hasn't died yet.

 

Never used Uber or Lyft. I don't exactly know how it works, but I doubt there are any operators in my town, since I still see quite few good old hitch hikers along the road I travel every day.

How much do they charge for getting a ride???

 

It depends. Peak or non-peak pricing, shared or reserved car, distance, etc. Can be very cheap.

 

Anybody to carpool with, even part way?

 

I would go carpool and save the time. You'll use some fuel but it will be measured in ounces not gallons.

 

Sounds like a relatively simple decision. Since you already know what the normal drive is like test the other route for a few weeks or so to see if what waze is telling you is actually correct. If time is important it might be worth driving the extra miles since that time will just add up daily. Since you’ll be adding an extra 22 miles daily it’s gotta be worth the time and aggravation saved. Even though there’s hov lanes sometimes they’re really not moving much more than the other lanes.

I’m fortunate enough that there’s hov lanes on my commute and it saves me about 20 minutes each way so I’m saving almost 4 hours per week in drive time.

 

Stick with the 710 (do you have to take Valley to then continue up Fremont, or just take smaller streets?)

It's not just the wasted gas and constant (if it's a daily commute) extra wear and tear on your car, but your sanity as well.
My commute varies, but when I have to take the 405 during rush hours, I find the carpool lane indeed saves time in the morning, but in the evening, the carpool lane can often be slower than the normal lanes for long sections. Yet I don't leave the carpool lane in those sections, I stay in the carpool lane even when it's slower, because it's a much easier drive just to stay in the lane and not worry about expending so much energy effort and stress just to save a small amount of time. When I have to take the 5 at rush hour (no carpool) I just stay on it, as slow as it is, instead of going crazy with little cuts around the 10 or 710. In the end it's just not worth the stress.

Stick with the 710. There may be lots of trucks, but even when it's crowded, it's not a bad freeway, and is usually not as crowded as as something like that 5 can be. Even without the EV question, that's what I'd do. And the fact that sticking with the 710 means you can do it without the gas coming on is an added plus.

 

I vote take whatever waze says is faster. It might be the 405 only part of the time, as stevepea has mentioned.

Driving is often the most dangerous thing we do on a daily basis. The less time you can spend doing, the better it is for you and everyone else around.

 

By that logic, on the next commute go 130 mph. That will cut the time in half and improve your safety commensurately.

Road injuries/fatalities are not measured by hours on the road, but by miles driven.