this is a re-post from another burner (jarJar)

Its that time of year again when many of us are making plans for the playa. One of the major plans is how we are getting there which often includes carpooling with other burners we may or may not know very well. I was thinking about my personal experiences with this and realized there some things I have learned over the years that are important to share with the community.



Things to remember when offering or accepting rides to and from burning man.



1) DRUGS. Truth is our community is varied, some of the people have good jobs that have security clearances or other stringent requirements that absolutely prevent them not only from partaking in any form of illegal substance, but they also would risk losing their careers if they were found to have contraband in their vehicles or on their vehicles passengers. On the other hand there are many in the community who do choose to have this as part of their life. Regardless of where you stand in life it is very important that you have this discussion with all passengers prior to accepting or offering a ride. Unfortunately however even this is not always honored, for example last year when we offered a ride to a fellow burner we were adamant that absolutely no drugs or illegal substances could be in the vehicle. Unfortunately this person chose to violate this and brought a large bag of pot along that we did not find out about until we were half way there. this person not only broke their word but also endangered the career of the vehicle owner. Fortunately they were not pulled over. However I have heard other stories that show how responsible others are, for example another burner in the community had the same rule for there passengers. When one of the passengers had some extra "gifts" left over after the burn that passenger found someone else to take the gift home in another vehicle rather than break the agreement. That is the right and honorable thing to do.

The moral: Know who your riding with, ask others does this person keep there word?



2) CASH. everyone has a different way of splitting expenses. But you need to be clear up front. If you are asking for a certain dollar contribution towards gas, get it before you leave. Things happen its better to not have this hanging in the air. Another approach is alternating who uses a card to put gas in the tank (only do this if you feel confident your passengers card will clear) I have known too many people who have had bad experiences of passengers never giving them the promised contributions, it can ruin friendships. So just get it before you leave and be firm.



3) DEPARTURES. It never fails every year I hear of someone having some issue with a passenger about departures sometimes its leaving town (they were not ready, they were not clear as to where they were at) or issues leaving the playa they would not or could not leave at the set time. Or a driver left a passenger on playa with just a note saying they left early they would have to find another ride, Or a ride had to leave due to a medical emergency only to have a passenger dangerously delay them, Or a passenger decide to leave with another person but leaves all there gear to there ride to take care of for them and take to there home, or...

you get the idea there are hundreds of things that can go wrong however some common courtesy and remembering the principles can go a long way toward handling these things appropriately.



a) set a EXACT time and location for leaving both home and the playa.



b) set how you will contact the other parties should some event require the driver to leave the playa sooner than planned (shit happens people!) Its important that you have a way to get a hold of your riders.



c)If for some reason you are a driver and must leave, you owe your riders the courtesy of letting them know face to face if at all possible.

d) IF you are a rider whose ride needs to leave for medical reasons, by all means you need to go or you need to quickly figure out how you and your gear are going home



e) If you chose to go home with others other than your planned ride you need to take your gear too. IF you can not take your gear keep in mind those hauling and dropping off your gear are doing you a HUGE favor. You need to guarantee them a secure place to drop it off and if you can’t guarantee that then you are tasking a risk with your things and that’s not the responsibility of the people who transported your gear sans you. (remember we are currently living in the highest meth use state, many burners on this list had gear stolen from yards and porches this year, have gear dropped off at your own risk)



f) if you do not show up and are packed at the pre set time.... prepare to be left. This is about radical self reliance its not others responsibility to wait on you, take care of you, pack for you or find you.



I hope these tips may help others avoid some of the pit falls of playa ride sharing this year. Every year there are stories maybe this year there will be fewer.