For some in Washington, commuting’s a slug-fest

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Rush hour in Washington brings the slugs out into the light.

Each workday, members of a unique breed of commuters known as “slugs” line up, sometimes at regular bus stops, sometimes at special areas. Chatting quietly, they wait for strangers to pick them up and drive them to the office, or home at the end of the day.

The slugs constitute a decades-old system of casual car-pooling that moves thousands of workers from the suburbs to the city, with no money changing hands and no official government involvement.

“No one’s really in charge,” said David LeBlanc, a longtime slug who has written a book on the phenomenon. “The slugs themselves will decide … What always prevails is common sense.”

Reuters