Subte: The Buenos Aires Subway

Part of the daily grind for residents, visitors will find the Buenos Aires subte provides fluorescent-hued flickerings of insight into the lives of porteños of all incomes.

In among tired workers, embracing couples and entire families on day trips, panhandlers make their pleas and vendors plug anything from chewing gum to mini-sewing machines and musicians belt out tunes of varying quality.

Buenos Aires was the 13^th city in the world to get a subway system and today, the oldest subway coaches in service worldwide still ran on the historic línea A until the city decided to replace them in early 2013.

The network consists of six lines, líneas A – E and H and covers over 52.4km of the capital. Tourists will find the subte is relatively clean, goes to the majority of attractions and is faster and easier to navigate than the more complex bus system.

Fares and Operating Hours

Unlike some other cities where fare is determined by distance, in Buenos Aires a single fare covers the whole subte network. Passengers can travel for two stops, change twice or ride to the end of the line; it’s still the same low price.

While still very affordable, the subte’s fare have been steadily increasing year after year to keep up with inflation. With the price rises, and the addition of bike lanes and a bike lending program, passenger numbers have dropped by an average of 200,000 per working day.

Waiting times for trains are generally between 3-6 minutes, though this depends on the line, time and day of the week. Television screens at the stations display train frequencies, as opposed to specific arrival times, along with news, short general interest programs and adverts. Wi-Fi is also available at most stations.

History and Controversy

Before the inauguration of the A line in 1913, the first subway line in South America, the capital’s transport network consisted of an intricate web of tramway and train lines, which congested its narrow streets.

The first proposals to build a subway system were submitted in 1886. After various plan rejections, delays and hiccups, the then-thriving Anglo-Argentine Tramways Company began the build in 1911.

The subway system has changed hands various times in accordance with the political whims of the government.

Two companies, Corporación de Transportes de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires and Administración General de Transportes de Buenos Aires were in charge of the subway and then liquidized, before the state-owned company Subterráneos de Buenos Airestook over in 1963.

Today, Subterráneos de Buenos Aires, or SBSAE, owns the stations, and through SBASE, the city government is in charge of the expansion of the network.

When the subte was privatized under President Carlos Menem’s rule in 1994, the company Metrovías S.A began to operate the system. In 1999 this contract was extended until 2017.

As of 2012, the national and city government have been wrangling over ownership of the subway system. No one wants the hemorrhaging network on their hands.

Per prior agreement, the city government took over the subte in 2012 and consequently increased the fares, before later trying to return it to the national government, who didn’t want it.

As the national and city government continue to squabble, citizens are taking the hit with a dearth of police officers in stations and frequent strikes by workers.

Connections and Expansion of the Network

As three out of six subway lines fan out from main square Plaza de Mayo and run parallel to each other, passengers often have to travel to the center to switch lines. Connections between the busiest lines B, C and D happen at the crowded downtown intersection below the Obelisk of stops Carlos Pelligrini, Diagonal Norte and 9 de Julio.

After a 60-year lull in construction, the modern H line was created in 2007 and is still being expanded. This line allows passengers to connect across the E, A and B lines without first traveling to the city center. An SBASE representative describes the H as being “fundamental to improving the operation of the whole system” and this explains why the H was constructed, before the F and G lines, which were planned at the same time. When finished, línea H will connect with the D line, and join main tourist destination Plaza Francia, home to Recoleta cemetery, to the rest of the city.

There are also plans to extend the A, B and E lines and build new lines F, G, which will run between 56 new stations. The extensions will add 39.3km to the network and subte riders are expected to increase by the thousands once they are completed. — Rosie Hilder

→ How to Take the Buenos Aires Subte

Metrovías
Subte Fare — AR$

Operating Hours:
Mon-Sat: 5 a.m.—11 p.m.
Sundays: 8 a.m. —10 p.m.

Ten Tips for Hitchhiking in Argentina

WA-hitchhiking-truckdriver — An Argentine trucker. photo: Ryan Rambo

Hitchhiking is legal throughout Argentina and is making a comeback among young backpackers. In more remote areas some locals hitchhike everyday, as it is the only mode of ‘public’ transport available.

Be ready for anything as hitchhiking can be testing and occasionally fun and exciting.

Here are ten quick tips to make your hitchhiking adventure more enjoyable and safe

1. Camping Equipment: A camp stove, tent and sleeping bag allow you to move and sleep anywhere. Always carry matches, a flashlight, a pen and other emergency supplies such as a first-aid kit.

2. Food, Water and other necessities: Argentina is vast. Be sure to carry enough food and water on you for a couple days, just in case you get stranded somewhere without amenities.

3. Nutrition: It can be difficult to stay healthy on the road. Noodles or rice mixed with tuna make for good dinners—as long as you have a stove. Bread, cheese and salami, fruits and nuts make for good lunches. All can be purchased at any supermarket.

4. Service stations and truckers: Gas stations are the backbone of the hitchhiking world in Argentina. Truckers tend to stop at these stations, usually located on the outskirts of cities. Don’t be afraid to ask them where they are going and if you can join them. This is the best way to get rides.

5. A dedo: Using your thumb can be effective but having a sign makes you more noticeable. Don’t be afraid to be creative and humorous. Try to appear clean and friendly. White or bright clothing is ideal. Keep in mind that you are quickly judged based on your looks. The more you look like a serial killer, the lower your chance of getting a ride.

6. Patience: Have lots and lots of patience. It is the only skill required to hitchhike. It could take all day or it could take thirty seconds — you never know.

7. Safety: Realize that hitchhiking can be dangerous. Use common sense and be safe. Don’t stand close to the road’s shoulder and make sure there is a safe place for the car to pull over. Hitchhiking can be dangerous for women traveling alone.

8. Travel light: The more baggage you have the less likely you are to get a ride.

9. Speak Spanish: Communication is important. Many people who pick up hitchhikers like to talk. Sometimes it is the reason they pick you up. You can hitchhike without Spanish, but it can be a bit more difficult and awkward. Forget your ego and make the effort.

Take a Spanish Course Online

10. Have fun: There are hard moments on the road, but don’t forget why you are traveling in the first place.

→ Hitchhiking in Argentina: Gear, Patience, Safety

Hitchhiking in Argentina: Gear, Patience and Safety

Cerro Fitz Roy, El Chalten, Argentina as seen from the highway — Cerro Fitz Roy, El Chalten

Hitchhiking in Argentina is smelly, exhausting, wet, sweaty, cold, hot, windy, dry, uncomfortably awkward and highly rewarding. Thumbing rides in this huge, sparsely populated country can mean days in a variety of miserable conditions, from icy Patagonian wind to a tropical Andean heat.

Still nothing compares to a ride well earned, that sudden thrill of a vehicle slowing down and the fumbling moment when one gathers their belongings and sprints towards an open door.

In a country with steadily increasing bus prices, hitchhiking has become a popular form of travel for the modern day backpacker in Argentina. But don’t be fooled by the trend — it is difficult. The trick is to be prepared for anything.

Gear

A hitchhiker can end up in some uncomfortable places. A camp stove, tent and a sleeping bag make the back of a YFP service station a lot more accommodating.

The camp stove provides a way to sustain simple, but much needed nourishment. Just make sure to carry enough water for cooking and drinking, since you never know where you will find yourself. Unlike other South American nations, Argentina has potable water throughout most of the country.

A tent and sleeping bag enables you to camp wherever you want. You don’t have to make it somewhere with amenities; you can go anywhere. It’s nice to know you can get some sleep wherever you are, even though your dreams will probably be interrupted by the groan of a diesel engine.

It is completely possible to endure hitchhiking in Argentina without a tent, but it’s not optimal. No tent means staying up all night in a service station sipping coffee, or resting on a bench in a bus terminal, waiting for the sun to peak over the horizon until the moment you can throw a thumb in the air.

Service stations are the backbone of the world of hitchhiking in Argentina. They are where rides originate and end, where truckers sleep, where you will find yourself filling water bottles and buying chips.

The prime location to get rides are the gas stations on the outskirts of cities and towns, where the cars thin out and head in one direction. Inflated food prices make the grocery store a better option for sustenance, but these make ideal pit stops for everything else.

Patience

The ease at which someone can catch a ride depends more on serendipity than on any set of natural or developed skills. There are a few things you can do to improve the likeliness to get a lift though.

Truckers sleep in their trucks in service stations. They wake up early to their Gauchito Gil decals staring back at them under the red tassels that line their tinted windows. You can watch from afar as they emerge from their rigs to fill their hot water thermos for their morning mate, out of machines designed just for that purpose. This is the magic moment when you can hit them up for rides directly. Many truckers will claim that their employers prohibit drivers to pick up hitchhikers, so expect a lot of “no’s” but remember all that you need is that one “yes.”

If begging face-to-face makes you feel like a bum, use the age-old method of a thumb in the air and a cardboard sign. A sign creates attention, and as a hitchhiker you want people to notice you, so be creative.

Give a smile and a wave, even if they pass by. Keep in mind that truckers talk to each other on the CB radio. If they are aware you have been in the same spot for hours, they may take pity on you and pick you up.

Whatever you do, do not be discouraged if you are having bad luck. Eventually someone will give you a lift; patience is the only skill a hitchhiker needs.

The length of any one ride depends on the destination of the driver. Sometimes a ride with a family can be 20 kilometers and sometimes a trucker will haul you 1,000 kilometers — you never know.

Argentines are very proud of their country and like to teach you about their culture. Hitchhiking is a great way to get to know the society on a more personal level than merely staying in hostels, riding on buses, and going on tours.

Speaking Spanish can make a car ride much more interesting, especially in Patagonia where drivers dazzle with Malvina (Falkland) war stories, spin tales about their numerous romantic conquests and instruct you on how to make the perfect asado.

Safety

Hitchhikers at Cerro Fitz Roy, El Chalten, Argentina — photos: Benjamin Peter Jones

There is always an element of uncertainty with hitchhiking, which makes it initially attractive for the adventurous, but unfortunately dangerous. Sleeping in the back of service stations or in a field on the side of the road can be frightening, loud and miserable, but it is not your only option. You can always hitchhike to cities and stay in hostels.

Overall Argentina is a safe country in which to hitchhike, but bring a friend. It makes it safer and the bad times better. Women shouldn’t attempt extended trips alone — in 2004 Swiss traveler, Annagreth Würgler (link in Spanish) disappeared after accepting a ride in La Rioja. The fact that the case received so much media attention in Argentina demonstrates that it was a very unusual case.

Use common sense. If you decide to hitchhike, realize you are taking a risk. Don’t hitchhike in sparse areas of Patagonia in winter or the tropical north in summer.

Argentine drivers are notoriously reckless and often exceed high speeds due to the lack of radar enforced roads outside of Buenos Aires, so do not stand too close to the shoulder.

Most Argentines who pick up hitchhikers tend to be eccentric, lovely people, offering rides altruistically. Aside from rural routes where one’s car serves as a ‘community vehicle,’ most drivers will not even ask for money.

So when you are looking down the gray asphalt and the cold rain makes you pine for a warm hostel bed and a nice sized bife de chorizo, remember the next person who picks you up will probably be friendly, they will have a nice warm car and maybe will even give you cookies. Just be prepared to serve a lot of mate.

— Zach W. Watson

→ Ten Tips for Hitchhiking in Argentina

The Buses of Buenos Aires

The buses of Buenos Aires are like old men in a bar – loud, smoky, rough around the edges, but dependably, they always show up – usually sooner rather than later.

The buses, called colectivos, or bondis in the local lingo, lunfardo are quite reliable, inexpensive and comprehensive, moving six and half million passengers a day. According to the Urban Public Transport page, Los Colectivos, the buses of Buenos Aires travel the equivalent to 3000 trips around the world each month.

The entire Buenos Aires’ system contains 110 bus lines, most functioning 24 hours a day. Although considered a public system, the buses in Buenos Aires are privately owned by dozens of companies, so while the service is generally good, each company can vary. Thanks to high ridership, Buenos Aires’ buses are economical even though the companies that run them receive virtually no government subsidies.

Popular Bus Lines, Fares & Sube Card

Obviously which bus you need depends on your location, but some lines, such as the 60, are particularly useful. The 60 is sometimes referred to as, ‘The International’ because its ten different routes pass by many top landmarks from La Boca Juniors stadium, Constitución train station, Plaza Italia, the U.S. embassy in Palermo all the way to the tourist office in the leafy northern suburb of Tigre.

Another bus line that hits a lot of the tourist hotspots is the 152, which passes through La Boca, San Telmo, Plaza de Mayo, Recoleta and Palermo.

Those who stay in Buenos Aires for a while begin to figure out what bus lines are reliable and which ones aren’t.

Some lines, such as the 10, 17 and 29 are dependable and come by very frequently, as often as every seven minutes in the central parts of the city. Others such as the 75 tend to be notoriously undependable and yet others, such as the 24, can be dependable during the day and seem to leave you waiting a while at night and on Sundays and holidays.

It’s worth noting that after midnight buses are suppose to stop for any passenger who flags them down, even if the passenger is not at a bus stop. It doesn’t always work, but they will often stop if flagged, particularly for women who are alone.

Fare Prices

A basic Buenos Aires bus fare for those with a Sube Card starts at AR$4.50 for less than three kilometers and goes up depending on the distance traveled. The price has increased several time in the last few years, but leveled with inflation the basic fare has hovered around 0.30 cents in US dollars.

The buses of Buenos Aires are without a doubt more comprehensive than the subway, reaching every corner of the city. In short – though generally slower than taxis and the Buenos Aires subway, the buses will get you to every nitty gritty corner of Buenos Aires.

→ For help figuring out which bus you need go analogue using the Guía T or check out online directories such as the city’s website search engine, Como Llego.

→ For instructions on how to take a bus in Buenos Aires, click here.

→ For instructions on how to get a Sube card, click here.

→ Also check out an affordable downtown walking tour that gives a primer on using the bus and Buenos Aires subway.

* Updated 2018

How to Take a Bus in Buenos Aires

The Buenos Aires bus— so noisy, so smokey, but so darn affordable and practical they’ll get you anywhere.

Here are the steps to take a bus in Buenos Aires:

1. Figure out your route

First you’ll need to figure out which bus you need using the Guía T if you’re old school, or an internet site such as Buenos Aires’ interactive map, which also works on phones and other devices. If you’re using a Guia T, as plenty of locals still do, look at this post to help you figure out what bus you need.

2. Find the bus stop

Once you know which bus to want to take, another challenge can be figuring out where the bus stop actually is located. On major streets such as Corrientes and 9 de Julio they are well marked. The bus stops are every two-and-half to three blocks, and usually marked with the numbers of the lines that stop there as well as a list of major stops. Just walk along the avenue or street until you see a stop. Sometimes the bus stops are not well marked in residential areas and you will need to ask someone: ‘¿Dónde está la parada para el 24?’(Where is the stop for the 24?)

Store and newsstand owners are accustomed to answering questions about the buses because no one knows where the bus stops are if they are not familiar the area. During the day there will often be a line of people waiting for the bus, you can ask them as well. If you don’t speak Spanish well you can also point to your bus number in the Guía T or on your phone and offer a perplexed look to be pointed in the right direction.

3. Make sure you have change or a Sube smart card to pay the fare

Most importantly, before getting on any bus in Buenos Aires if you don’t have a Sube smart card, make sure you have change to pay the fare — the buses don’t take bills. The basic fare for the general population costs AR$7.50, to be paid with a smart card. The city finally delivered on its promise to install card readers, which has greatly reduced the need to hoard coins to pay for the bus. Thanks to inflation, paying for trips in coins is only a good option if you are in the city briefly and don’t want to purchase a Sube card. Without a Sube card users also don’t receive a subsidy, so the basic fare is a bit higher if paying with coins.

4. Get in line

Aside from rush hour on very busy avenues, there is usually just one line of people for all the buses that go by any particular stop. Get in line. When you see your bus coming along, identified by its number above the windshield, put out your hand to indicate that you would like to get on the bus – each stop handles several buses, so if no one in line flags the bus, it will speed on by. Sometimes it will speed on by regardless – chalk it up to the inner complexities of the Buenos Aires bus driver.

5. Tell the conductor where you are going

Once you are on the bus you need to tell the conductor where you are going so he can charge you the appropriate fare. Simply name the cross street or location where you plan to get off, for example: ‘hasta Cordoba, por favor’. Many passengers, accustomed to taking the same route everyday, just tell the conductor how much to charge them. Most fares for shorter distances around the city, from three to six kilometers, cost AR$6. If you prefer you can make like a local and also just tell the driver, ‘seis, por favor.’

6. Pay your fare

After you’ve indicated your stop to the driver, hold up your Sube smart card to the card reader next to the driver. If you don’t have a Sube, dig deep in your pockets for some spare coins and drop them in the machine. If paying with coins, a ticket will be issued a ticket along with your change. No ticket is given if using the smart card. Hold on to the ticket, although it is rare that someone comes through to check them, but it does occasionally happen.

7. Hold on tight!

Once on board, the elderly, pregnant women and anyone with kids obviously has priority seating so if you don’t have the good fortune to get a seat take a steady stance and hold on tight! When you want to exit the bus push the button located on the pole by the back door. Be careful exiting the bus — sometimes the buses don’t quite get to the curb and barely stop. If you are let off into the street, look back toward the oncoming traffic before jumping off to make sure there are no bicycles or motorbikes speeding up from behind.

For help figuring out which bus you need, click here

Cheap Flights

Subte: The Buenos Aires Subway

Fares and Operating Hours

History and Controversy

Connections and Expansion of the Network

Ten Tips for Hitchhiking in Argentina

Here are ten quick tips to make your hitchhiking adventure more enjoyable and safe

Take a Spanish Course Online

Hitchhiking in Argentina: Gear, Patience and Safety

Gear

Patience

Safety

The Buses of Buenos Aires

Popular Bus Lines, Fares & Sube Card

Fare Prices

How to Take a Bus in Buenos Aires

Book Airport Transfer

Book Cheap Flights

Porteño Corner

Walter Freiberg

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