By NBC 6's Patricia Andreu

There’s no better way to start your day than getting stuck in traffic, feeling your frustration rise as you’re burning up gallons of gas that’s costing you more and more, all the while polluting the air around you. Yeah, right!

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A group of Hollywood residents had had enough of the rush hour headaches. So, they created a carpool. The idea may not be new. But for this group, it made a whole lot of sense. "It's the best way to travel to work," said carpooler Terry Gasso.

That’s because the savings are huge. Boasts Gasso, “I think I fill up once every three weeks.” "I can go 10-12 days without filling up my car," adds fellow carpooler Cathy Cady. Imagine that! The average commute from Hollywood to Barry University, where the group works, is about 30 miles a day. By carpooling, they’re each saving $1207 a year on gasoline and car maintenance.

That’s not all.

"I've also saved on insurance,” said Dave Fletcher, who organized the carpooling group. “When I told my insurance company that I was carpooling and therefore driving fewer miles to work each week, my insurance dropped $200 a year just like that."

And then there’s the privilege of driving in the HOV lane. "This is what it's all about, guys,” Fletcher admits gleefully as his van whizzes by solo drivers caught in the rush hour congestion on I-95. “This is the best feeling in the world. Our trip is usually about 15-20 minutes. If we were by ourselves, on a normal day that could be a 35 minute trip." Which helps keep the blood pressure in check. "My whole frustration level is much lower when I get to work," says Cady.

As an added incentive, the group lobbied Barry University to create carpool/vanpool parking spaces in prime locations to make parking easier for those who share a ride.

So, is carpooling in your cards? There’s a quick way to find out, says Suzell Hopman of the South Florida Commuter Services program. "South Florida Commuter Services has a state of the art database. We match people who live 1-3 miles from their home, who have similar work schedules and work in the same building or same area so they can potentially get together and share the ride to and from work."

According to Hopman, there are already 70,000 people in the database for South Florida. Just fill in some information on their website (see link below) and make the connection. The service also provides transportation if you find yourself without a car and need to get somewhere in the middle of the day. "Anyone using an alternative mode of transportation at least 3 times a week, we give them 6 free emergency taxi rides a year."

"People are resistant at first, like they are to many changes in life,” acknowledges carpooler Julie Heim. “But once you start it, you see the benefits. The benefits far outweigh everything else."

Plus, the group loves the fact they can get work done during the drive, or have animated discussions on all sorts of subjects. They say it makes commuting a lot more fun. They don’t miss driving their cars one bit!

To find out more about carpooling in your area, go to the South Florida Commuter Services website: http://www.1800234ride.com/ . Or, give them a call at 800-234-RIDE.

To find out more, click on the link below:

South Florida Commuter Services