Money Moral Dilemma: Is it unreasonable to ask my friends to pay me for taking them to the pub?

honestcove

You indicate that you don’t go every Friday, so there must be some agreement/arrangement between the 3 of you each Friday.
So, say, when Bill and Ted contact you and say “are you going”, you can reply “yes, and who’s picking me up this week”. 

I doubt you’ll get picked up, but you’ll still have made your point.

CapeTown

Gosh this situation would irritate me and would grow out of all proportion. Your friends are being very thoughtless. I would say that your car is broken down one week and could one of them come and pick you up instead.  They will then maybe appreciate you more. If they don't then maybe they aren't the best of friends 

Pollycat

Marcon said:

 I've two friends who usually get the bus to the pub on Fridays, while I usually drive if I'm going too. On the odd occasion when the bus isn't running or it's raining, I collect them and take them to the pub with me. But as time's gone by, they've stopped checking if the bus is running and wait for me to pick them up, and I feel I'm being taken for granted. Is it unreasonable to expect them to offer me some money for fuel, or at least return the favour every so often?

You've let the situation reach this point without giving your friends any indication that you aren't happy with it, so why not talk to them and explain how you feel - something you should probably have done long ago if they are, as you say, 'friends' rather than mere acquaintances.

Almost all MSE MMDs would be solved by doing this instead of asking random strangers on t'interweb...

LAMBS60

Jokingly, ask them if it’s going to be a regular thing now . Maybe they could give you their bus fare ? How much is their bus fare btw ? Or buy your drinks ? Not alcohol.Or as suggested, say that you don’t know if you’re going that night . Arrive later , leave earlier. 

Agent57

As usual there is a lot of missing information from the Dilemma.
Do your friends hold driving licences?

I bought a two seater sportscar to avoid being taken for granted.

Do you have to pay to park your car?  Get them to pay for the car park.

Geonana

Just tell them you will use the car to pick them up if the bus isn’t running or bad weather (as it use to be). They will understand, petrol is expensive these days. Go for it.

BobbleMac

If you are driving, your friends should buy you your drinks as a thank you for driving

natasha.robinson

Obvs. They buy their rounds first. 

SadieO

I pick a friend up for work once a week (the only day we go in). I drive past the end of her road so it's really not a big deal to swing into her road and grab her. We've (nicely!) "argued" about her wanting to give me petrol money and me refusing. My point: "I'm going anyway so it's not costing me anything more". Her point: "You're saving me bus or even taxi fare* - why should I save money out of this arrangement and you not?" (*Buses are a bit rubbish where we are so if she had an important meeting or something she'd be safer getting a taxi) I think both our points are kinda valid! We settled on her buying me a nice coffee from Costa when we get to work. She gets one for herself anyway so it's not putting her out. And I love coffee but am too tight too much of a mse-er to get buy it from coffee shops myself, so it feels like a nice little treat to me. Good compromise I feel. 

When my friends and I are going to the pub we are usually all drinking so we share a taxi. If for some reason one of us isn't and so drives, the others will pay for parking (if needed), and a few if not all of the driver's soft drinks. We live close enough to each other that picking the others up (or indeed sharing a taxi) is easy to do.

I think it makes a difference if OP has to go out of their way to pick their friends up. OP, how are the arrangements made? What would your friends say if next week you just said "see you there!" and didn't acknowledge that they might be expecting you to pick them up?

Isin2000

All of you saying 'Use the bus' - assume there are buses. If you live outside of big towns /cities then buses stop from 6 or 7 pm. We live in a large 'commuter'  village - population well over 5000 - and there are none. Even in the daytime they only run direct to the nearest 2 towns and last bus in either direction is 6:30. So using a car is the only option (and greener than taxis - that are all based in the towns).