“I went to Mar del Plata by car to take my mother, because a driver wanted to charge her $35,000 and $35,000 for each dog, and she has two.
When I was about to return alone, I googled
carpooling,
I downloaded an app and at the touch of a button the skinny guy I ended up bringing spoke to me.
I charged him a little bit: $11,000 from him, and $11,000 from the girlfriend.
Instead of paying the gas and the toll on my own, it helped me
," Gastón tells
Clarín
.
It was
his first experience in carpooling
(
the English word for "carpooling") and “I would do it all the time,” he says.
In addition to the fact that they agreed on the idea of saving, there was a
cool
match .
"He a musician, she a manager, we stayed in touch and they already invited me to their recital," says the 32-year-old writer, who lives in Congreso.
Like many other Argentines this summer 2024, Gastón debuted an alternative to
alleviate the weight of inflation heading to the sea
.
From an application (he used Trivu) or through one of the Facebook groups, the key is
to choose with which complete strangers you can tolerate some 400 kilometers of road intimacy
, and that suits everyone.
It's not hitchhiking.
It's not getting on a van.
The
way
- saving distances (and intentions) - is quite similar to that of dating apps.
It's like a "Tinder", but to share the costs of traveling by car to the Coast.
This trend
exploded like summer
.
The thing is that a full tank, with super gasoline, on average at $700, gives
$29,400
, and if it is premium,
$36,456.
to that
You have to add $2,300 in tolls in the Province alone.
But the fuel increases (more than 140% since November) impacted even the buses, where there are plenty of tickets: one way costs
between $30,000 and $45,000
.
And the train tickets have been sold out for a while.
"The truth is that I was suspicious of uploading a stranger. I didn't understand the
code
, I didn't want to get lost, so
I asked him if I could ask him for his Instagram
, to see what's up. I saw that he was a really normal guy, who had photos with his girlfriend. That's how I 'chose' them, let's say," details the rookie
carpooler
.
Asking a profile "of interest" for the user of another social network to
stalk
that person
as God intended,
is a classic of dating apps.
If what you see convinces - as also happens on Tinder or Bumble -
the next step in
carpooling
is to chat on WhatsApp
.
Instead of arranging an appointment, the departure time, arrival point, space for suitcases and, fundamentally, how much
whoever occupies a seat
will pay
or
whoever offers one in their car will charge.
If everything goes well at the time of chatting, the driver gets paid at the end of the trip.
It is very frowned upon to ask for a sign.
It is not only a sign of distrust on the part of the driver, but also on the part of those looking to get into the car, because they sense that it could be a scam.
There are profiles of
carpoolers
(the verb, properly Argentinized, is
carpulear
) with more success than others.
Young travelers and those of the opposite sex choose each other more;
to those traveling as a couple or with friends (to spread the cost among more people and so that there are fewer strangers in the same car).
And it is much more difficult for those who go with children or pets
.
Beyond this, such is the rage of
carpooling
to the Coast (or returning to the AMBA), that there is not so much room to get fancy.
As there are no rates regulated by an application or standard (such as an Uber trip),
this travel market is completely free
.
Offer and demand
“Anyone who wants to share expenses?
We are three.
I am in Santa Teresita and I am going to Quilmes on January 15.
"I am not looking for private service or buses or combis
, just to share fuel and toll costs, at an affordable price."
With three lines in that Facebook group, Sabrina Ontivero said what she wanted, how she wanted it, when and for how much.
She returned from the coast, where she spent a few days on family vacation,
without paying the cost they demanded for the return by bus
.
But in
Viajes shared de la Costa
(which has more than 15,000 members) or in
Carpooling Costa Atlántica
(with more than 2,500) there are hundreds of messages like hers (although many more to go to the sea than to return).
So he had to settle for a change in his conditions.
"I got it. He charges me $20,000 per person. But it was the only thing there was, because there are three of us," Sabrina tells
Clarín
.
Dani and her friend are looking to save "on the way" to the southern beaches of Mar del Plata.
Dani Campos, a 32-year-old entrepreneur who sells healthy products on Instagram, is more flexible in this fight between supply and demand, and talks about how her search is going to go to the beaches in the south of Mar del Plata with a friend.
"
They ask from $20,000 to $35,000 for each one
. I'm seeing who is best for me. I'm not afraid of
carpooling
. As soon as they respond to my Facebook post, I look at their profile and try to speak via audio, because... they are "
There are many scams, they told me
," Dani tells this newspaper.
"I'm looking for as much commitment to the trip as I have. I can't stay idly
.
We've already booked the accommodation and we have a few days to enjoy it," he continues.
For comfort, you may pay more attention to the car or the air conditioning than to the age of your traveling companions.
"The truth is that age doesn't matter. You can always meet good people of all ages," she says.
Julieta Lobos (32) is a teacher from Villa Lugano who is also looking to save money on how to get to Mar de Ajó with two friends.
Julieta and her friends, willing to try the experience of carpooling to the Coast.
"In addition to Facebook, I found a link to a WhatsApp group for
carpooling
. A driver answered me privately, asking for $25,000 for each one. I was thinking of saving more than that, but I don't rule it out, because it's still cheaper for me. have to go by bus," he says.
Julieta did all the numbers.
"First, I want to do
carpooling
for economic reasons. I don't think paying $60,000 for a ticket to the coast is worth it, when four people in a car can pay a third of that. Second, I
think it's a nice experience
: getting to know new people, sharing mates among travelers is a good option.
If I were alone, perhaps I would take other precautions: "Have a driver who has several trips like this, or who is a woman driving, and I
would ask him to send me his ID if possible
."
At the time of writing, he finally got a discount on a bus ticket, and arrived at the Coast paying $26,000 for a seat that was previously $45,000.
"But when I return or the next time, I would still opt for this other, cheaper way," she says.
Daniel Cruz, who is 46 and lives in Lanus, is
an "independent" driver who specializes in
carpooling
.
From the groups of those who seek to share expenses to get to their vacations, he gets clients who are strangers to each other and prefer there to be a driver, like him, with a professional registration for passenger transportation and with specific insurance.
"At least I talk to 50 people a day to coordinate trips to the Coast, although we don't manage to close with all of them, because with the economic situation today
people look a lot for the price
," he tells
Clarín
.
Like any
low-cost
alternative ,
control the luggage
: "Let it be a small suitcase and a backpack at most, if I don't have to coordinate with the other passengers, let's see what they carry and if there is more room."
Their trips are totally
pet friendly
.
"As long as they notify me in advance and I can check if the rest of the passengers have no problems... I traveled with up to three dogs at a time, with cats and with a rabbit from Mardel to CABA."
Penelope (34) is from Villa Alsina and traveled last weekend with Daniel, because she needed to get a price to go to Mar Chiquita, but, more than anything, a place for her
rough blue merle collie
, Jacinta.
"I had no idea about
carpooling
; I needed to travel with my dog and
there are not many transportation services with pets
. We traveled with a girl and a boy who came together, very nice people. If I had traveled alone with Jacinta it would have cost me $120,000. I paid $ 60,000 for both.
Super good price
," he details.
Melina (25), a tango dancer from Florencio Varela, and Javier, were the other passengers in that car.
"This
carpooling
was the first time. The girl and the dog got off first and we continued to Mar del Plata. We shared experiences, jokes and even the silences contemplating the route were good. We already decided that we are going to do
carpooling
again on the way back "he concludes.
Santiago Laguna, a very supportive carpooler.
The
good company outweighed the savings
for Santiago Laguna (40), sales manager at a multinational.
His idea was to find passengers to share the expenses, from Tigre to Miramar, round trip.
But he ended up not charging anyone.
"I picked up a Frenchman who was going to Mardel. I convinced him on the trip and I took him to Miramar to eat a barbecue and I recommended that he go to Chapadmalal the next day. On the way back, a 17-year-old boy, in Maipú, who I had fought with the stepfather, and a 58-year-old woman who was returning from work. Before, a weak person had written to me who did not inspire confidence in me. For them, on the other hand, I really enjoyed giving them a hand. I didn't even mention the
carpooling
thing to them , so as not to make them uncomfortable. "
It ended up being 'by hand
,'" says Santiago.
ACE