Not so casual carpool
Bay Area folk have lots of traditions that strike others as odd.
One in particular being "casual carpooling", whereby cars queue up to take on complete strangers as passengers. The extra cargo ensuring the driver a spot in the coveted carpool diamond lane and swift passage through the horribly congested Bay Bridge toll lanes. I understand that this happens in DC too.
It seems a bit odd, but I've been both a passenger and driver and it works out well and is generally pleasant (except for the tacit agreement that nobody can speak - ever). You just know that some of these commuter-hitchhiking encounters must go awry but it wasn't until I read this recent account of a "casual carpool carjacker" that my suspicions were confirmed.
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