Cost of living and giving lifts

[Snazzyboots]

There is a very old thread on here about 'lift sharing' or giving lifts to someone on a regular basis. That was in 2010. It's now 2024.
I have arranged to give a lift to someone for just 2 weeks. He is also of the mentality that if someone is 'going there anyway, why couldn't they take him'. When someone doesn't own a car, doesn't drive anyway, then the costs of running a car never crosses their minds nor does the fact that the more people in the car, more fuel is used up. He is 25 stone, but if he asked me to take him regularly once the 2 weeks is up, then I would need to come to some arrangement with him because it costs me a lot more money when he is in the car than when he isn't! It's a total of 60 miles for the 2 trips a week. The cost of fuel in 2010 was a great deal cheaper than it is now in 2024. Do people still run into this kind of problem and how is it dealt with in a kind way?

Why is the lift only for 2 weeks. What happened before this and what will happen afterwards.

I wouldn’t want to give someone a lift everyday if they had the attitude I was going anyway so they should travel free so wouldn’t agree. It would annoy me too much.

I personally don’t like giving people lifts so I would quite cheerfully ask a set price per lift even over the two weeks. If I wasn’t going out my way I’d charge a fiver a day, if I was going out my way I’d work out additional miles and work it out using business rates 45p a mile.

If they aren’t happy find another way. Odds on it’ll be more expensive unless walk or cycle.

People do try and take advantage of you as a car owner sometimes. I had a boss who used to ask me “favours” all the time. I insured car for business use and charged him for every journey. He had a face like a smacked arse.

Cars cost more to run than just fuel.

He is also of the mentality that if someone is 'going there anyway, why couldn't they take him'.

if it was me they would have to provide some top notch sparkling conversation to get a free taxi service. Generally I say no unless fuel money is immediately proposed by the person needing the lift. No offer of contributing to fuel costs = no lift.

you dont need to think of a way to say it, just tell him it is 2 weeks only. And if he asks for more, just say no, that doesn't work for me. And if he asks why, say, it doesn't, and that is all I am saying

Being in the car is the only peace and quiet I get all day. Having to make polite chit chat with a work colleague wouldn't please me (sorry environment).

As he expects people giving him lifts I would refuse, but as you’ve already agreed then tell him you need a contribution for the petrol, or you can’t “help” him.

I’d refuse and say sorry it doesn’t work for me.

Your choice whether to give him
a lift or not but it really doesn't cost you " a lot more money" that's just ridiculous. Yes extra weight costs more fuel but it's negligible for one person!

Thank you all for your comments - some are very interesting. The person concerned is about 27 stone/171 kilos and that amount of extra weight definitely uses up a lot more fuel. He is interested in going somewhere else on a regular basis, and when he told me, it gave me an opening as there is someone he knows who would give him a lift. I suggested that he put some money in an envelope as a contribution towards her car/fuel costs, and then just hand it to her. (She is a pensioner and like many pensioners she really has to count her pennies). He said 'Oh! yes, yes!' and then I knew without any doubt that it had never even crossed his mind. So, job done!

The person concerned is about 27 stone/171 kilos and that amount of extra weight definitely uses up a lot more fuel.

I'm not saying you should give him a lift and if you do I think you should definitely ask for a contribution.

But the actual increase in fuel cost of having an extra passenger or two is negligible.

My student son hasn't sorted out driving lessons despite us offering to pay for them. He is in a band. His bandmate/also a student funded his own driving lessons and funds his own car. He often gives my son lifts.

I insist that ds gives petrol money to his friend, it's only fair, it doesn't matter that his friend was going there anyway.

This was a question on a motoring forum about the effect of carrying the weight of a full tank of fuel around, but obviously it applies to passengers too
"In typical driving a car loses about half the percentage in mpg that you add in weight, so if you add 10% in weight you lose about 5% in mpg, and if you add 5% you lose about 2.5%. A broad summary, but it matches the results pretty well. 40-45kg (the difference calculated above) is about 3% of the weight of the average car with a tank that size (1500kg), so that would be a 1.5% loss in fuel economy, or going from 50mpg to 49.25mpg."
So your 27 stone guy would be a loss of roughly 6% in fuel economy for an average car if my arithmetic is right.
However someone that heavy would damage your car seat in the long term I should think. My son, who was tall and probably weighed about 18 stone was turned down by a driving instructor for this reason.

Nb. Government milage rate for taking a passenger is 5p per mile. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rates-and-allowances-travel-mileage-and-fuel-allowances/travel-mileage-and-fuel-rates-and-allowances