Collective on the go: What you need to know about carpooling

Berlin (dpa / tmn) - It doesn't matter whether you're going to work together with colleagues or a stranger from the study city to your home country: Carpooling is worthwhile on many occasions - if only for the environment.

For example, two cars, each with one person, consume almost twice as much fuel over the same route as a car with two people, according to the Federal Environment Agency. So if these two people shared a car, they could save a lot of CO2.

But carpooling isn't just good for the environment, says Michael Hummel from the consumer advice center in Saxony: "When you carpool, drivers and passengers save on fuel costs. You're also much more relaxed if you don't have to drive yourself all the time."

According to Hummel, an increased number of carpools should also bring advantages when parking. Ultimately, this reduces the total number of cars driving in the cities.

Find the right carpool

"Anyone looking for a carpool should look for partners who not only drive safely but are also reliable," says Hummel. After all, it is very annoying when you miss an appointment because the driver is late or not at all.

If you're looking for a lift for your daily commute, it's best to look around among your colleagues: "You'll quickly see if the chemistry is right - after the first test drive at the latest," says Hummel. Some companies even have in-house placement exchanges for this purpose.

Use digital mediation platforms

There are a number of nationwide ride-sharing agencies for a trip home from the study city or other national routes - on the web and as an app. They help to find the right carpool. These include, for example, "blablacar", "fahrgemeinschaft.de", "bessermitfahren.de" and "twogo".

These platforms are among the largest in Germany. While "fahrgemeinschaft.de" and "bessermitfahren.de" are free, "blablacar" and "twogo" incur fees.

The latter is primarily aimed at commuters and offers special options for companies. "Bessermitfahren.de" is particularly suitable for spontaneous trips. No registration is necessary here, but correspondingly little is known about the passengers.

Motor vehicle liability insurance for accidental damage

"If you get into an accident with your carpool, the motor vehicle liability insurance of the vehicle will cover all damage to the occupants," says lawyer Christian Janeczek. This applies even if the driver is not at fault for the accident.

"Even the owner of the vehicle would be entitled to compensation from his liability insurance company if he was injured as a passenger," says Janeczek. Only in the case of "force majeure" is there no entitlement to compensation. He advises against passenger accident insurance because the high maximum liability limits for motor vehicle liability usually make this superfluous.

Find out about insurance coverage before you start your journey

Alexander Schnaars from the ADAC explains that passenger accident insurance also provides benefits for the driver who is responsible for the accident and who does not receive anything from their own motor vehicle liability insurance.

Nevertheless, he thinks it makes more sense and is easier for every occupant to take out their own private accident insurance. "They pay regardless of how the damage occurred," says Schnaars.

Schnaars also explains that the damage to the car that caused the accident is not covered by motor vehicle liability insurance or private liability insurance. "Only comprehensive insurance pays for that." You should always find out about the existing insurance cover before you start your journey.

What else to consider

Carpooling can also be claimed in the tax return. "There is a distance allowance of 0.30 euros per kilometer of distance from the first kilometer of distance between home and work," says Schnaars. In principle, the shortest road connection is decisive. The distance allowance is included in the income-related expenses in the tax return.

Ultimately, it should be noted above all that no one is allowed to earn money from a carpool. This means that the ride-sharing fees that the driver collects from the passengers may at most cover the operating costs. "These include the price of petrol and costs incurred from maintaining the car and the like," says Janeczek. Ultimately, however, carpooling is not particularly complicated: "Anyone can take anyone with them."