Gas and Carpool Apps that Save You Money and Time

By Molly Andersen on 09/20/2012

It’s that time year of year when college students start getting back into school mode. You’ve signed up for classes and purchased your textbooks, but have you thought about how you’re getting to class? Whether you own a car, take the bus or train, or hitch a ride with a friend, there are ways to cut the cost of your commute. Here are eight cost-free apps to get you to class on time and save you money.

Carpool Apps:

Carticipate – It’s not easy planning around other people’s schedules, but now you don’t have to. This great app matches your driving plans with local carpoolers going your way. All you have to do is enter where you are going and when. Carticipate is also available on Facebook, making it easier to connect with those who live, work and go to school near you.

Zimride – If you plan on driving to class anyway, why not have a passenger and earn some gas money. Zimride allows you to post rides as a driver, as well as search and book cheap rides as a passenger. User profiles also let you verify who you are riding with, so you can find people with common interests. Who knows, you might make a friend.

Carpool – School Edition – This app is specifically designed for students carpooling to school. Students can create a schedule up to a full month or edit an existing one to share with other groups. It’s also easy to form your own group with your classmates, and they don’t need an iOS® device. Just e-mail them the carpool schedule, so they can view it on their computers and print it out.

Car Pool Party – Don’t get caught behind the wheel all the time. Carpool Party is designed to make sure every member of your carpool takes turn driving. This great tool keeps track of the carpools’ history, who drove last and when it’s your turn. It’s also easy to enter new drivers and change dates manually.

Public Transportation Apps:

RouteShout – Sometimes the best way to get to class is take the bus. RouteShout makes it easy to find bus stops, routes and arrival times where you live. The software uses information from 150 different transit agencies. You can search by location or look for stops by street name and see when the next bus will get there. Users can also save their favorite stops, so they are easier to access.

StopFinder – This is another great app that helps you locate bus stops from more than 100 transit agencies. It shows you a street level map pinpointing where the stop is located. You can also get arrival times.

Gas Price Apps:

Local Gas Prices – The next time you fill up at the gas station make sure you get the lowest price. When you’re a student, every penny counts, right? Local Gas Prices shows a list of gas stations nearby and allows you to sort the list by price or location. Just tap on one of the gas stations, and it opens a map showing where your station is compared to your current location.

GasBuddy – Here’s another great resource to find the cheapest gas prices on the go. The software also encourages you to enter gas prices in your neighborhood, and earn points toward a $250 gas gift card; GasBuddy gives one away every week. The app is for the USA and Canada only.

Have you used any of these great gas price and carpool apps? What’s worked for you? We’d love to hear from you in our comments section below.

iOS is a registered trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc.

Request More Information

There are some errors in the form. Please correct the errors and submit again.

Contact Information

Email Address

There is an error in email. Make sure your answer has:

An "@" symbol
No spaces
A suffix such as ".com", ".edu", etc.

Phone Number

There is an error in phone number. Make sure your answer has:

10 digits
No dashes, slashes or spaces
No country code (e.g. "1" for USA)
No numbers starting with "0" or "1"

I agree to receive text messages from Rasmussen University. See full disclosure below.

ZIP Code

There is an error in ZIP code. Make sure your answer has only 5 digits.

Employment Information (Optional)

We offer tuition savings for many employers—see if yours is one of them.

Corporate Employer Selected Employer Name

Please enter Corporate Employer.

Can’t find your employer? Select "Other Employer Not In List" or "Not Employed".

Program Preferences

Area of Study

Please choose a School of study.

Program

Please choose a program.

Credential

Please choose a degree.

Do you have potential transfer credits?

Yes

I'd like to find out

By submitting this form by clicking “Submit”, you are providing your signature and your express written consent, and hereby agree to receive information via electronic means, which may include a telephone system, an automated dialing system, a recorded message device, soundboard technology, over-the-top messaging, voice messages, and/or email about upcoming courses, recruitment events, newsletters, and other resources from Rasmussen University. This consent is not a condition of enrollment or purchase.

If you opted in to text messaging, message and data rates may apply; the frequency of messages may vary. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. You may withdraw your consent at any time. Reply STOP to unsubscribe, text HELP or call 888-5-RASMUSSEN for immediate assistance.

Please refer to our privacy policy, terms, or contact us for more details.

This piece of ad content was created by Rasmussen University part of American Public University System to support its educational programs. Rasmussen University may not prepare students for all positions featured within this content. Please visit www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/ for a list of programs offered. External links provided on rasmussen.edu are for reference only. Rasmussen University does not guarantee, approve, control, or specifically endorse the information or products available on websites linked to, and is not endorsed by website owners, authors and/or organizations referenced. American Public University System (the System) is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The System is comprised of American Military University (AMU), American Public University (APU), Rasmussen University (RU), and Hondros College of Nursing (HCN).

Gas and Carpool Apps that Save You Money and Time

Request More Information

About the author

Related Content

Related Content