Slugging
Encyclopedia
Slugging, also known as casual carpooling, is the practice of forming ad hoc
, informal carpools for purposes of commuting
, essentially a variation of ride-share
commuting and hitchhiking
. While the practice is most common and most publicized in the congested Washington, D.C. area
, slugging also occurs in San Francisco, Houston, and internationally. Typically slugging is motivated by an incentive such as a faster HOV
lane or a toll
reduction.
s, high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes
that require more than one person per automobile were built in many major American cities to encourage carpool
ing and greater use of public transport
; the first were built in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area
in 1975. The new lanes, and frustration over failures of public-transport systems and high fuel prices, led to the creation in the 1970s of "slugging", a form of hitchhiking between strangers that is beneficial to both parties, as drivers and passengers are able to use the HOV lane for a quicker trip. While passengers are able to travel for free, or cheaper than via other modes of travel, and HOV drivers sometimes pay no tolls, "slugs are, above all, motivated by time saved, not money pocketed". Concern for the environment is not their primary motivation; Virginia drivers of hybrid automobiles are, for example, eligible to use HOV lanes with no passenger.
In the Washington area—with the second-busiest traffic during rush hour in the United States and Canada —slugging occurs on Interstate 95
and 395
between Washington and northern Virginia
. As of 2006, there were about 6,459 daily slugging participants there.
In the San Francisco Bay area, with the third-busiest rush hour, slugging occurs on Interstate 80
between the East Bay
and San Francisco. As of 1998, 8,000 to 9,000 people slugged in San Francisco daily.
Slugging also occurs in tenth-busiest Houston, at a rate of 900 daily in 2007, and in Pittsburgh.
David D. Friedman
's The Machinery of Freedom
proposed a similar system (which he referred to as "jitney transit") in the 1970s. However, his plan assumed that passengers would be expected to pay for their transit, and that security measures such as electronic identification cards (recording the identity of both driver and passenger in a database readily available to police, in the event one or both parties disappeared) would be needed in order for people to feel safe. Although slugging is informal, ad hoc, and free, in 30 years no violence or crime has ever been reported from Washington D.C. slugging.
s"—being thrown into the fare-collection box.
-like facilities or bus stops and subway stations with lines of sluggers. Drivers pull up to the queue for the route they will follow and either display a sign or call out the designated drop-off point they are willing to drive to and how many passengers they can take; in the Washington area the Pentagon
—the largest place of employment in the United States, with 25,000 workers—is a popular destination. Enough riders fill the car and the driver departs. In the evening, the routes reverse.
Many unofficial rules of etiquette exist, and Websites allow sluggers to post warnings about those who break them. Some Washington D.C. rules are:
While local governments sometimes aid sluggers by posting signs labeled with popular destinations for people to queue at, slugging is organized by its participants and no slug line has ever been created by the government. Government officials have become more aware of sluggers' needs when planning changes that affect their behavior, and solicit their suggestions.
Ad hoc
Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes. Compare A priori....
, informal carpools for purposes of commuting
Commuting
Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. It sometimes refers to any regular or often repeated traveling between locations when not work related.- History :...
, essentially a variation of ride-share
Carpool
Carpooling , is the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car....
commuting and hitchhiking
Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking is a means of transportation that is gained by asking people, usually strangers, for a ride in their automobile or other road vehicle to travel a distance that may either be short or long...
. While the practice is most common and most publicized in the congested Washington, D.C. area
Washington Metropolitan Area
The Washington Metropolitan Area is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The area includes all of the federal district and parts of the U.S...
, slugging also occurs in San Francisco, Houston, and internationally. Typically slugging is motivated by an incentive such as a faster HOV
HOV
HOV may refer to:* High-occupancy vehicle lane* Ørsta-Volda Airport, Hovden in Hovden, Norway* Hovig* A small street gang located in Naperville* see Hov...
lane or a toll
Toll
The word toll has several meanings.Road transportation infrastructure* "Toll" is sometimes used as a synonym for tariff** Toll road, a road for which road usage tolls are charged...
reduction.
Background
In order to relieve traffic volume during the morning and evening rush hourRush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
s, high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes
High-occupancy vehicle lane
In transportation engineering and transportation planning, a high-occupancy vehicle lane is a lane reserved for vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers...
that require more than one person per automobile were built in many major American cities to encourage carpool
Carpool
Carpooling , is the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car....
ing and greater use of public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
; the first were built in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area
Washington Metropolitan Area
The Washington Metropolitan Area is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The area includes all of the federal district and parts of the U.S...
in 1975. The new lanes, and frustration over failures of public-transport systems and high fuel prices, led to the creation in the 1970s of "slugging", a form of hitchhiking between strangers that is beneficial to both parties, as drivers and passengers are able to use the HOV lane for a quicker trip. While passengers are able to travel for free, or cheaper than via other modes of travel, and HOV drivers sometimes pay no tolls, "slugs are, above all, motivated by time saved, not money pocketed". Concern for the environment is not their primary motivation; Virginia drivers of hybrid automobiles are, for example, eligible to use HOV lanes with no passenger.
In the Washington area—with the second-busiest traffic during rush hour in the United States and Canada —slugging occurs on Interstate 95
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
and 395
Interstate 395
Interstate 395 may refer to:*Interstate 395 , a spur from I-95 to Washington, D.C.*Interstate 395 , a spur from I-95 to Auburn, Massachusetts*Interstate 395 , a spur in Miami, Florida...
between Washington and northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
. As of 2006, there were about 6,459 daily slugging participants there.
In the San Francisco Bay area, with the third-busiest rush hour, slugging occurs on Interstate 80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
between the East Bay
East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
and San Francisco. As of 1998, 8,000 to 9,000 people slugged in San Francisco daily.
Slugging also occurs in tenth-busiest Houston, at a rate of 900 daily in 2007, and in Pittsburgh.
David D. Friedman
David D. Friedman
David Director Friedman is an American economist, author, and Right-libertarian theorist. He is known as a leader in anarcho-capitalist political theory, which is the subject of his most popular book, The Machinery of Freedom...
's The Machinery of Freedom
The Machinery of Freedom
The Machinery of Freedom is a 1973 nonfiction book by libertarian economist David D. Friedman outlining the means by which an anarcho-capitalist society could operate...
proposed a similar system (which he referred to as "jitney transit") in the 1970s. However, his plan assumed that passengers would be expected to pay for their transit, and that security measures such as electronic identification cards (recording the identity of both driver and passenger in a database readily available to police, in the event one or both parties disappeared) would be needed in order for people to feel safe. Although slugging is informal, ad hoc, and free, in 30 years no violence or crime has ever been reported from Washington D.C. slugging.
Etymology
The term slug (used as both a noun and a verb) came from bus drivers who had to determine if there were genuine passengers at their stop or just people wanting a free lift, in the same way that they look out for fake coins—or "slugSlug (coin)
A slug is a counterfeit coin that is used to make illegal purchases from a coin-operated device, such as a vending machine, pay phone, parking meter, transit farebox, copy machine, coin laundry, gaming machine, or arcade game...
s"—being thrown into the fare-collection box.
General practices
In practice, slugging involves the creation of free, unofficial ad hoc carpool networks, often with published routes and pick-up and drop-off locations. In the morning, sluggers gather at local businesses and at government-run locations such as park and ridePark and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
-like facilities or bus stops and subway stations with lines of sluggers. Drivers pull up to the queue for the route they will follow and either display a sign or call out the designated drop-off point they are willing to drive to and how many passengers they can take; in the Washington area the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
—the largest place of employment in the United States, with 25,000 workers—is a popular destination. Enough riders fill the car and the driver departs. In the evening, the routes reverse.
Many unofficial rules of etiquette exist, and Websites allow sluggers to post warnings about those who break them. Some Washington D.C. rules are:
- Drivers are not to pick up sluggers en route to or standing outside the line, a practice referred to as "body snatching".
- A woman is not to be left in the line alone, for her safety.
- No talking unless the driver initiates conversation.
- No eating, smoking, or putting on makeup.
- The driver has full control of the radio and climate controls.
- No open windows unless the driver approves.
- No money is exchanged or requested, as the driver and slugs all benefit from slugging.
- Driver and passengers say "Thank you" at the end.
While local governments sometimes aid sluggers by posting signs labeled with popular destinations for people to queue at, slugging is organized by its participants and no slug line has ever been created by the government. Government officials have become more aware of sluggers' needs when planning changes that affect their behavior, and solicit their suggestions.
See also
- Real-time ridesharing
- Flexible carpoolingFlexible carpoolingFlexible carpooling is carpooling that is not arranged ahead of time, but instead makes use of designated meeting places. It seeks to replicate the informal 'slug-lines' that form in Washington DC, Houston, and San Francisco, by establishing more formal locations for travelers to form carpools...
- HitchhikingHitchhikingHitchhiking is a means of transportation that is gained by asking people, usually strangers, for a ride in their automobile or other road vehicle to travel a distance that may either be short or long...