WASHINGTON 鈥� Metro’s yearlong repair project聽will mean service disruptions, which could drive commuters聽to look for alternative ways to get to work. One way聽is “slugging,” a聽term used to describe “instant carpooling” or “casual carpooling” where drivers in the D.C. area pick up strangers or commuters hitch a ride with someone they don’t know headed their way in the area.
Kalai Kandasamy created Sluglines.com and has now created the , which is free and available for both Android and iPhone users.
鈥淚f you know any slugger their biggest complaint is that the lines are unpredictable always,鈥� said聽Kandasamy, adding that if you head to the same commuter lot at the same time each day sometimes there may be聽25 people waiting and other times there are only five people waiting to slug into work.
He says the app would allow you to know the status of a slug line in real time, cutting down on the unpredictability and the amount of time a slug or driver has to wait.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to go there and wait for riders to come, I want to go there and pick up riders and be on my way,鈥� said聽Kandasamy.
The app uses real time data and uses a check-in system to connect riders and drivers.聽But he says you have to be in the slug line in order to check in.
鈥淲e want to make sure they are in the line and not sitting somewhere else,鈥� said Kandasamy. Your phone鈥檚 GPS shows that you are actually in the slug line.
He says instead of going to a commuter lot and waiting for a slug or driver, the app takes the uncertainty聽out of the process. It’s聽a little like a Match.com, but for drivers and slugs.
He says the聽app allows drivers and slugs to arrive at a commuter lot and quickly get on their way.
The app is new so Kandasamy says so he is still working on adding slug lines to the list. For example, he recently added Rosslyn to 610 for slugger. He聽adds routes as users request them.
Kandasamy has been slugging since the early聽2000s. Although he says he has tried VRE, Omni Ride and car pooling, he says slugging works best for him.
