HOV3 and Casual Carpooling

MSNBC: 'Pure mayhem' as New York City tries to get back to work :

"That led some people to try to hitchhike their way into Manhattan, with drivers eager to pick them up to make the three-person-per-car quota. 'Some folks offered me a ride,' said Melanie Bower, 30, who lives in Fort Greene. 'I was touched by their kindness at first. But then I realized they just needed me so they could have three in their car.’  Bower walked into Manhattan instead, and then caught a bus uptown."

It seems casual carpooling is running into some moralizing. The gain from trade (I give you a ride, we both save time) appears wrong to at least some travelers. People in other parts of the country have gotten over this, I am surprised New Yorkers, living in the home of capitalism, are having trouble.