One thing people always tend to fight about is money. Aside from couples and adults, high school kids and college kids also fight about it, more specifically, gas money. Since many people at this stage of life don't have a car or a license, it ends up being the same people who drive all the time —whether it be for a quick run to the grocery store or on a 10-hour drive to a spring break destination. Therefore, one person gets stuck with the gas bill most of the time and quite honestly, that's not fair. Gas prices are insanely high (and rising) and, being the person that is always the designated driver in any situation, I am sick and tired of driving the same people everywhere without being compensated.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not stingy and I probably won't even take your money if you offer it, but I feel like offering is still the right thing to do. Personally, I know I always offer to give gas money or to compensate the driver in some way if they drive me around often or are driving for a long distance. Even offering to split gas money with someone goes a long way in the friendship book.
In my personal life, I get really bothered when I constantly drive people around, go out of my way to pick them up or drop them off, or essentially become someone's Uber and they don't even do so much as offer to buy me coffee as collateral. Offering coffee or food to your driver can also be a way to pay someone back if you don't have literal cash in your pockets, and usually, the driver is just as grateful for that. In most cases, the driver just wants to know that you're actually grateful for their service, essentially, even if it's your friend. Gratitude goes a long way, especially when your bestie drives you everywhere.
I sympathize with the fact that money is tight for some people, but understand that gas is expensive and it shouldn't be the driver's responsibility to constantly cover the costs. In most people's eyes, your thought pays for your ride if you offer up gas money. So, if you're the person always asking for rides (I get it, we've all been there, especially when we were young) just be the bigger person and offer some cash or compensation to the person that drove you.
(P.S. if someone always drives you and they never take your money and won't let you buy them anything in return, send them money through Venmo, PayPal, or Cashapp. They can't deny or reject it, and they will appreciate it especially if they drive you often.)
