Earlier this year I changed my method of commuting to work. For the previous 3 ½ years I was taking the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) to work. It was a comfortable and mostly reliable form of transportation. It was also nice because I could use pre-tax dollars from my paycheck to pay for my ticket. In January that changed and I was going to have to pay out of pocket for part of my ticket. So I decided to try the Slug Lines. In VA there are lines at various commuter parking lots where people will pull up and take however many riders they need in order to meet the HOV requirements on I-95/I-395. Basically I stand in a line and wait for a ride from a stranger, they drop me off near my office and then I do the same thing waiting for a ride from another stranger to drive me to my car in the afternoon. I always joke and call it legalized hitchhiking.
It has been interesting riding and driving in using the slug line for the last 3 months. The good part is that on most days I get in to work quicker and home earlier. The downside is I never know what size car I will be riding in or how good the driver is going to be. One day I road in and the driver told me my seat belt was broken but it shouldn’t really be a problem. Gee, Thanks, I hope I don’t die on the way to work. I’ve road in the back of a car when the passenger in the front seat sits with the seat all the way back in my lap, even though they are 5 foot tall. But usually people are considerate of other riders and adjust seats or allow you to sit up front. It’s always nice when the driver has a van or SUV though.
The next part is the conversation…which doesn’t happen often because there is an unwritten rule that you are not supposed to speak in the car unless initiated by the driver. But some of these people have been doing this for awhile and know many of the riders. The first day I learned what EAT, PRAY, LOVE was about or at least what these two older men thought it was about. All I can remember is there is a lady who goes to India to become an expert in Yoga and fall in love. Then I learned that the driver’s daughter was engaged and he didn’t like the guy because he was a yoga/hippie type guy. All I know is it was tough not to laugh out loud and I don’t think I’ll be seeing EAT, PRAY, LOVE.
One day I made my dad ride home with me. This was interesting just because he had no clue what was going on. Then a guy pulls up in a Toyota Corolla. This would’ve been ok if the guy knew how to drive a manual transmission. Its only one of three times I thought I was going to get car sick using the slug lines, the other times were due to me having to warm of a jacket on when the driver had the heat on too high.
Overall it’s not a bad way to get to and from work. Plus it is completely free as long as I’m not driving. Plus anything that keeps me from using the DC Metro is a good way to get to work.
Learn more about DC/VA Slug Lines.
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