Every morning when he wakes up, Loren Peña’s first order of business is a text. His day always starts with a message to Lab colleagues Anthony Dominguez, James Harris and Lauren Marrs.
As longtime carpool mates, the four employees have established a robust framework to support their daily trips between a Santa Fe parking lot and their jobs on Pajarito Road.
Morning task No. 1? Communicate.
“We have a good process to get the carpool going. You have to text the group when you wake up, so we know you’re alive,” Peña says. “And you have to text again when leaving the house so we know you didn’t fall back asleep.”
Making it work
Communication is key but the code governing the group’s daily commute covers everything from music to snacks. It includes:
- A different person drives each of the four work days.
- The driver controls the stereo (although Marrs’ decision to one day play a song about pickles earned her something of a DJ suspension).
- Every morning trip starts to make sure everyone has their Lab badge so nobody gets to work without one.
- The driver also decides whether to stop at Taco Bell — or any of the Pojoaque area’s other fast food eateries — for a snack on the drive home.
- Career before carpool, meaning the car will wait for members who get caught with a work responsibility late in the day.
As Harris puts it, “Our motto is ‘No homies left behind.’”
Better parking perks
Dominguez, Harris, Marrs and Peña are veteran carpoolers, having discovered years ago the benefits of a shared commute. That includes spending less on gas, limiting wear and tear on their individual vehicles and having more eyes watching for hazards like the occasional elk along the roadway.
But the Lab’s Parking and Transportation Services team recently sweetened the deal even more—giving carpools with at least three members special access to prime parking in the busiest lots on-site.
“Parking remains a major challenge in certain parts of campus, and this is our way of incentivizing alternatives to the single-occupant-vehicle commute,” Transportation Director Jay Faught said. “We know the existing bus service does not work for everyone, but carpooling is a great option for employees regardless of their schedule.”
The new carpool parking spaces proved immediately popular.
Dominguez, Harris, Marrs and Peña say always having a convenient parking spot is a game-changer, eliminating the long search for open parking that is the norm at certain parts of the campus during peak work hours.
“I am so hyped about it,” Dominguez said. “Every day, I come and say, ‘There’s our spot.’
Not just a ride to work
Carpooling has become about more than commuting for these four “homies.”
The quartet had special T-shirts made to commemorate their various inside jokes and go out to lunch or dinner together. They say they are sharing more than just a trip up and down the hill.
“My whole social network is built around this carpool,” Marrs said. “I moved here from New York state and didn’t know anybody.”
Peña said friendship is central to the carpool.
“I don’t think you can have long-term success carpooling if you don’t enjoy each other’s company,” he said. “At 4:30 in the morning, you can’t dislike each other.”