During its heyday in the 1970s, carpooling became a successful way of conserving gas, combating horrific traffic jams in big cities, and diminishing air pollution that was reaching alarming levels.

But with the advent of urban sprawl and a surplus of gas and oil, many decided that carpooling was no longer necessary. Now, however, with environmental concerns afoot, and gas prices on the rise, ridesharing is enjoying something of a renaissance.

While carpooling with fellow workers may, at first, seem constricting, there are definite advantages to sharing the driving.

According to the American Automobile Association, it costs 41.8 cents per mile to just operate a vehicle. Based on this, by ridesharing every day with a roundtrip commute of 20 miles, you can save $167 a month on gas, insurance, parking fees, and wear and tear on your car.

On the days when you don't have to drive, you can use the extra time to read the morning newspaper, catch up on sports scores and, yes, even watch satellite television.

With the advent of vehicle satellite television systems such as the TracVision A5 from KVH Industries, today's carpool experience is a far cry from that of 30 years ago. If your car is equipped with this technology, your passengers can choose from hundreds of channels of DirecTV programming to entertain them on the ride to work or school. Whether it's movies, news or commercial-free music, there's sure to be something for everyone in the carpool.

Ready to start your own carpool? Here are some tips to make the experience the best it can be:

* Be organized and plan ahead. Determine who will drive and how often.

* Discuss finances. If one person does a bulk of the driving, you should decide on a per-day or per-mile contribution to cover gas and parking.

* Decide upon pick-up and drop-off times. Choose where, when and in what order each rider will be picked up and dropped off. In some cases, using a meeting place is more practical.

* Establish "rules of the road." Determine what will and won't be allowed while commuting (i.e., smoking, drinking or eating in the vehicle).

* Create an emergency plan. In the event of bad weather or schedule changes, you should agree on a fair waiting time for riders in case of delay.