'Slugs' on the Rise as Gas Prices Soar

WASHINGTON, May 22, 2008 — -- Each weekday morning, in large parking lots in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, hundreds of people stand in lines waiting for free rides to work from total strangers.

The practice, which famously began in the Washington area in the 1970s, is known as "slugging."

By taking on extra passengers, or "slugs," a Virginia driver can use the state's High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, which can require up to three people per car.

For the last three decades, members of this underground suburban society have believed that everybody wins; the entire carload is ensured a traffic-free ride up notoriously clogged Interstates 95 and 395 to work at the Pentagon and other office buildings in Arlington, Va., and downtown Washington.

But, as gas prices continue to hit records, many slugs have noticed a sharp increase in their ranks, making for longer waits in line. And -- far worse -- they've detected a marked reduction in the number of drivers willing to give them a lift.

"I've noticed that it's harder and harder to get a ride," said longtime slug Kathy Ryan. "There's fewer cars picking up and more and more people in the line."

At a popular afternoon slug line, on 14th Street N.W. in downtown Washington, some slugs were seen waiting for nearly 30 minutes for a ride home.

Intermittently, a car with its hazard lights flashing could be seen crawling up to the curb. As many as two strangers would climb in before the car rolled off on its way to Virginia.

"It's getting hard now. This line used to be faster. Now, it's slowing," said Anna DeCosta.

Even a relatively new slug -- at it for just a year -- seemed upset that so many fellow travelers had joined him in line.

"They're all slugging 'cause they want to get to work easier, save gas money, have money for themselves," said Richmond Owusu.

Slugging began in the 1970s, amid the gas shortages caused by the Arab oil embargo and government price controls. The culture has thrived as the suburbs of the nation's capital have sprawled and gas prices have skyrocketed.