Drive In A Car With Someone I Met On Craig’s List? I’ve Done Worse Things With Craig’s List

The Sun takes a look at the New York City ride board on Craig’s List, with varying results:

Looking for a ride to Monsey, N.Y., or to make a quick trip to Lansing, Mich., over Thanksgiving break? Hitching a ride on the streets of New York is illegal, so today’s hitchhikers are sticking out their thumbs with posts on craigslist.org.

Motivated by many of the same needs that inspired their predecessors, virtual hitchhikers say they lack funds, desire companionship or the sheer thrill of an adventure, and sometimes act out of pure desperation.

The craigslist.org New York ride board gets about 25 posts a day, with about an even number offering and soliciting rides. Most posters are looking to team up for shorter drives to destinations along the Northeast corridor, but some seek cross-country travel companions.

. . .

A production assistant, Rudy Samana, who recently sought company for a drive to Florida, said he didn’t get south of New Jersey. “The guy I was driving seemed very unstable,” Mr. Samana said. “He told me he might get a job in Florida, but he didn’t really have a plan, and he kind of wanted to latch up with me, so I just turned back around.”

Then again, I think the people in this example thought the writer meant “Casual Encounters”:

Others said they had better luck. When advertising producer Grellan Harty needed a ride to Vermont last winter for a ski trip, he posted on the site. Kathy Jo Carstarphen responded because she said she was eager for companionship. The strangers had no plans to check in to a motel room in Middlebury, Vt., just hours after meeting, but were forced to do so at 2 a.m. when they got lost on their way. “We’re still good friends after sharing that experience,” Mr. Harty said.