Petrol Money - do you charge it?

[Tortington]

My In-laws do this, it is something that i had never heard of previously. I think its bad form

[PuppyMonkey]

Charge who? Sorry, don't understand!!

[throckenholt]

depends on the situation. If it is a regular thing then yes - sharing the cost is fine.

If is it a small one off then no. If it is a large one off - then yes contribution or full cost should at least be offered by the one who benefits.

[Tortington]

i just couldnt do it, i would rather be out of pocket first i really would.

charge family of close friends - hell anyone i suppose - normal journey - not talking "can i have a free lift to france svp"

[AMumInScotland]

I think if it's a regular arrangement, and it saves you from a bus/train fare, then it's right to share the petrol cost. I wouldn't expect anyone to give me petrol money for lifts in normal circumstances, but it's different when it's a kind of business arrangement between you.

[IMoveTheStarsForNoOne]

If there was a standing arrangement where someone was giving me a lift to work on a daily basis, and I couldn't reciprocate, then I would offer half the petrol - seems only fair to me!

One off trips, lifts to the station etc. Driving a friend to Leeds as you're both going to the same housewarming - yes, I'll have half the petrol money please (and none of my friends would think anything of it at all)

Thought this was normal?

[Tortington]

see i'm with reality on this - her BIL is going to the place of work he is going anyway...yet charges his brother.

i wouldn't/couldn't do that - i would die of embarrassment...i work there anyway...would have to get there anyway and the whole family thing make its doubly cringeworthy.

similarly if i were going to a housewarming anyway - then a friend decided to cadge a lift - i wouldnt charge

[tots2ten]

dh give my dad and BIL a lift to work, they all work in the same place. It doesnt cost dh any more to pick them up. And when dh's car was off the road, my sister took dh to work with dad, and BIL.

i run my sister around, (she doesnt run me around because I am terrified of her driving ) But she will go shopping for me, if i need her too.

[Tortington]

i am travelling 300 miles to do my xmas relative thing

my sil might come with to see her family up north

i wouldn't dream of holding out hand and saying "£40 please"

[MitchyInge]

it's nice for people to offer, if you are going hugely out of your way

[Tortington]

agree MI, good manners to offer

[MitchyInge]

I charge my middle child sometimes, if she wants a lift somewhere and I am running about on a teaspoon of diesel - just to encourage her to get a taxi next time

[IMoveTheStarsForNoOne]

I agree in some respects - I very often give a friend a lift home from work - it's barely out of my way, certainly doesn't cost me any extra, and I wouldn't dream of asking her for money.. would be daft to.

But yes, my friend who wanted a lift up to leeds (200 miles away) so she didn't have to pay for the train. It's a bloody expensive trip and she offered to pay. One of us filled the car up on the way up, the other on the way back. Worked very well.

[IMoveTheStarsForNoOne]

one other thing - wouldn't dream of charging a relative, that would be tight!

[MitchyInge]

what do we think about charging own teenage children, as a lesson in 'it costs £££ to run this vehicle'

[mumblechum]

Hadn't thought of charging teenage son for lifts, tbh. I pay his taxi fares on Sat mornings down to the river for rowing as Icba to get out of bed at 7am.

I think it would be a bit mean to charge for petrol in my case as it was dh & I's choice to buy a house in the middle of nowehre with no public transport & being an unpaid taxi service during the teenage years is the price we pay for that. (as will coughing up money for a car, insurance & lessons in a couple of years )

[TrillianSlasher]

If it were a regular thing or a long one-off trip I would offer, if I were the passenger. But it would be very difficult/awkward to ask, when you're going there anyway.

Does an extra passenger add weight and therefore petrol cost? Probably not much.

[Tortington]

i drive ds to work everymorning and pick him up. Wouldn't dream of asking him for petrol money.

[throckenholt]

from the other point of view - with realitybites example. Your DP is getting a free journey to work every day - if his brother didn't happen to work there then he would have to fins another (more expensive probably) way to get to work.

So why no say - we are both going - lets share the cost and that way we both benefit ? That is the principle of car sharing isn't it ?

Doesn't matter if it is a relative of friend or whatever, if it is a regular thing why should one pay and the other gets a free journey.

As for custy's son - I would also say - if he is being paid then he should at least be contributing to the cost of getting to work. It is part of the economics of working.

[ProfYaffle]

Totally agree with Custy, wouldn't dream of asking for petrol money. If I was going out of my way and/or making a long trip I'd appreciate the offer but would probably appreciate wine/chocolates more!

[GetOrfMoiLand]

Wouldn't dream of asking for petrol from friends and family.

In my old days of not driving, a colleague used to take me to work. I used to give him a tenner a week - it would have been more than that to get the bus, and anyway he took a slight diversion (less than half a mile) to pick me up from a spot more convenient to me. I would have paid double this rather than get the bus in all weathers!

We became great friends in the end and he then refused money, as we were then friends as opposed to colleagues.

Would never ask for money from my mum, or dd when I cart her about all over the place. I would be [hm[ at people who did ask. Don't like tight people.

[throckenholt]

yeah - I can see that is annoying - but he is still getting free transport - and his brother is paying petrol and running costs.

Why doesn't your dp suggest his brother picks him up and drops him off, and dp will pay x towards to petrol and running costs ?