Rising oil prices have me thinking more and more about rising fuel prices and my 48-mile daily commute.

I've looked into our local Metro Pool, which matches up commuters who want to drive together, www.nuride.com, the trains and even buying a scooter. Working from home is not an option. Since my town lacks a train station, taking a train is a less attractive option for me, while a scooter would only be usable for half the year and also presents safety issues.

Then, in speaking to my neighbors, I discovered that the husband not only works in the same town I do but his office is located just three miles north of my office, on the same highway.

His hours are a little different than mine; he gets out 30 minutes later than I do. (When my summer hours end, his start time will also be 30 minutes earlier than mine.)

I spoke to his wife, who will speak to hubby and let me know if he's interested in car-pooling.

My proposal is that we share rides 4 days a week; he drives 2, i drive 2.

By car-pooling four days a week, we'd both eliminate two days of driving, or reduce our gas usage by 40% a week.