Out Of The Carpool And Into Hot Water

I take a job across the country. As luck would have it, my new boss, three other employees, and I all live close together so we can share the costs of traveling. That works out well for nine months and goes downhill from there. We have arguments every morning and get told off every evening. What really annoys me is that the boss is never on time! Waiting in the dark and rain dreading the car journey is a nightmare.

Eventually, I have enough and get one of the guys to one side.

Me: “Listen, the car share is a nightmare.”

Coworker: “I know, but I don’t want to drive myself.”

Me: “How about you and I car share. I drive one week, you drive the next? That way, it’s half the miles we are putting on the car. He lays into you the worst. You can’t be happy.”

The first week is great. I drive every day and am on time each morning. We don’t talk about work, and we make sure to leave on time in the afternoon. The next week, [Coworker] has some car problems, apparently, which means I have to drive. The third week is apparently “my turn,” so I drive again. The Friday before [Coworker] is supposed to drive, I speak to him.

Me: “Listen, the whole point of us taking turns driving was so that we didn’t put as many miles on our cars. Are you going to drive or not?”

Coworker: “I don’t want to. I could pay you for petrol?”

Me: “No, the whole agreement was to take turns driving. If you’re not going to do your bit, you can carpool with [Boss].”

Coworker: “Well, maybe I will!”

I drove myself for another six months. I saw [Coworker] in tears many mornings, but he refused to just drive with me. He quit six months after that.