Carpooling, Casual

Origin

Slugging originated in the Washington, D.C., metro area during the mid-1970s. At that time, commuters were concerned about gas prices and availability due to OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) oil embargoes. Concurrently, Northern Virginia's I-95/I-395 (Shirley Highway) opened the first freeway HOV lane, requiring at least three passengers to gain admittance to this coveted stretch of roadway operating between Prince William County in Virginia and Arlington Street near the Pentagon. Motorists who wanted to take advantage of the quicker HOV lane would drive up to bus lanes and solicit riders. Bus drivers, who were trained to spot “slugs,” or counterfeit coins, it is said, began calling the commuters waiting in the bus line slugs since they were using the bus stops not for public transit but for a ride in a private vehicle.

Rules of Etiquette

While each slugging region has particular norms, over the past three and a half decades of casual carpooling, clear rules of etiquette have emerged for participants. Drivers are expected to drive safely and responsibly, have working seat belts, and present relatively clean vehicles. For their part, passengers are expected to refrain from eating and using their cell phones. They are typically quiet unless talked to by the driver. Reporters and researchers who have participated in casual carpooling note that some rides are silent, but others turn into enjoyable roundtables with lengthy discussions, and one man indicated he and his wife had met through slugging. The drivers can have quiet music or radio talk stations playing, as long as they are not overtly religious or political, and the passenger does not ask the driver to change the music or station, nor does the passenger make requests to alter the climate control settings. Historically, no money has changed hands between driver and passenger. In 2010, however, the Bay Area Toll Authority began charging cars in the carpool lanes a minimal fee, [Page 362]currently at $2.50, to cross bridges in the San Francisco area. The necessity to discuss financial transactions in the casual carpooling community ignited a firestorm of debate, with some passengers adamantly against contributing to the toll, some willing to pay whatever the driver requested, and some always contributing a dollar.

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