From Almagro to Parque Patricios, from Caballito to Congreso, from Constitución to Palermo, from Villa Urquiza to Chacarita... In the City of Buenos Aires there are many routes that can be traveled by subway or by bus.
It does not matter?
Not
for the pocket
anymore .
Because with the new SUBE card rates, depending on the option chosen, the cost of the trip can now
fall by half
.
Or even
drop more than 80%
.
Traditionally, the bus ticket and the Subway ticket
were kept at similar levels
, and the bus option used to be the most economical.
But
the equation has just changed
dramatically.
Although in the first days of February the rates for both services increased,
the bus became much more expensive
, becoming by far
the most expensive option
in the comparison.
But how much is
the difference today, exactly
?
And
how much money can a passenger save
if he starts making his transfers underground instead of taking the usual "bondi"?
Answering these questions is more complex than it seems because subway and bus fares not only have
different values
.
They also
work differently
.
The bus ticket became much more expensive.
Photo: Guillermo Rodríguez Adami.
Subway vs.
collectives: how is the ticket value set and what are the key differences?
First of all, the
bus
fare varies
depending on the kilometers
traveled, while the
subway
pass costs the same
regardless of the distance
.
Secondly, the
subway
becomes cheaper
during the month as the user
accumulates trips
made, something that does not happen with the bus.
And thirdly, to further complicate the issue, the subway allows you
to change lines for free
, while to move from one bus to another you have to pay for a new ticket (which will have a discount).
What are the new subway rates in February 2024?
Since Sunday
, February 4,
the subway ticket, which was $110, increased by 13.6%: it now cost
$125
.
But that value applies fully only to the
first 20 trips
of
each month
.
A graduated rate
is then applied
.
From the
21st trip
that a user makes within the same month - considered from the 1st day to the last - they charge 20% less:
$100
.
From the 31st to the 40th
trip
of the month the bonus amounts to 30%, so each ticket costs
$87.50
.
Starting on
trip 41
, meanwhile, there is a 40% discount and each entry to the subway is paid for
$75
.
You can still travel by subway for $125 and up to $75.
Photo: Luciano Thieberger.
What are the bus rates in the AMBA from February 2024?
For motor transport in Capital and the GBA, however, an increase of more than 250% has been in force since Tuesday,
February 6
, applied to rates that had already increased by 45% on January 15.
In total, then, the
minimum
bus ticket - which is valid for trips of up to
3 kilometers
- began to cost
$270
.
To travel
3 to 6 km
the new rate is
$300.78
;
for trips of
6 to 12
km they charge
$323.95
;
For distances from
12 to 27 km
you have to pay
$347.15
;
and for more than that,
$370.18
.
New rates: how much will you save in February if you travel by Subway and not by bus?
The comparison shows that now taking the subway is
always cheaper
.
It also shows that this
convenience tends to grow
the
longer
the route and the
greater the number of trips
made throughout the month.
So, when the rate for the first 20 trips
of the month is applied,
the Subway allows you to reach your destination for
$125
, a cost
53% lower
than the minimum bus ticket ($270) and
61% lower
than the bus ticket for a transfer. between 6 and 12 kilometers ($323.95).
For its part, once there are more than 30 or 40
subway
trips in the month, the reduced rate of $87.50 or
$75 per pass
becomes
even more attractive
compared to the bus fare.
Especially for long journeys, where using the subway can be
75% or 78% cheaper
.
How much cheaper is it to take the Subway than a bus?
Source:
Clarín based on official rates
Infographic:
Clarín
Subway vs. collective: which one do you spend less with now if you have to make combinations?
On trips that involve combining means of public transport, it must be considered that a system called Red SUBE governs throughout the AMBA, which
makes connections
between trains, subways and buses cheaper.
With this mechanism, within a period of
two hours
, the first trip is charged at the normal rate, but the
second trip
costs
50% less
(half of the full rate) and from the
third trip
onwards you pay
75% less.
(a quarter of the full rate).
For example, you can take a bus for 5 km paying
$300.78
, get off and board a second bus to travel another 5 km for
$150.39
(50% of the cost).
You could also do the first section by bus for $300.78 and the second by subway for $62.50 (half of $125).
The bus ticket now costs $270 at least.
Photo: Maxi Failla.
In this framework, another
great advantage of the subway
is that it allows you to go from one line to another as many times as necessary, paying
only one ticket
.
For example, you can get on B, connect to H and finish at E for the same price as traveling only two stations on a single line.
Therefore, if the dilemma is to reach your destination
by combining subways
or to do so by taking
two buses
(because there is no direct one), today the subway offers by far the lowest cost.
Assuming two consecutive sections of 6 to 12 kilometers each, going by bus will cost
$485.92
with the Red SUBE discount.
The same subway trip, however, with or without line changes, can be made for
$125
,
$100
,
$87.50
or
$75
depending on the number of tickets already purchased in the month.
That is, you will save between
74%
and
84%
.
MDG