When you are studying Spanish in Buenos Aires and you want to live like a local, one of the first things you have to do is stop using taxis and start using public transportation! Once you give up this luxury most porteños reserve for special occasions or short distances, you will quickly be inducted into the wonders of a bus network that spans the entirety of Gran Buenos Aires, meeting the needs of a population of over 13 million people – and the many trials and tribulations of the system. The first trial will no doubt be trying to figure out how read the complex bus guides in order to find the right bus! But soon you will encounter another problem even more difficult to solve. While public transportation is inexpensive in Buenos Aires, just AR$1.25 for the longest distances within the capital, the largest obstacle to getting on the bus is often gathering together the coins for the bus ride!
In particular, you will notice that the lack of coins (monedas) in the city is an constant problem, with signs in most stores imploring customers to pay with exact change (colabore con cambio). And most bus networks only allow riders to pay in coins for their trip.
Enter SUBE (Sistema Único de Bolecto Electrónico) to save the day! Slowly, bus lines are beginning to put electronic card readers on the buses that will allow passangers to pay with plastic cards instead of those preciously hoarded monedas. The system is also now fully integrated with the subway’s Monedero cards as well
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So here’s all you need to know to get your plastic transportation card and travel like a pro!
How to get it:
There is no cost to obtain the cards so long as you charge at least 10 pesos to it the first time. Ask for “una tarjeta Monedero” in any subway station, or at the SUBE distrubution point in San Martín 921. You must pay for the credit added to the card in cash.
How it works:
When in the subway, just hold the card up to the Monedero logo on the turnstile and your card will be automatically charged. The green turnstiles are exclusively for Monedero/SUBE cardholders! On buses, hold your card up to the card reader and tell the bus driver what price ticket you need (AR$1.10, 1.20, or 1.25 depending on the distance).
Keep in mind that unlike other electronic ticket options in other countries, using SUBE or Monedero does not entitle you to a cheaper ticket.
You can add more money onto the cards in subway stations or in may kioskos that have the Monedero and SUBE logos posted.
In fact, the Monedero cards can be used to pay in many other places as well. The idea is to simplify the payment process by simply holding up a card to a card reader, whatever it is that you need to pay for. To see a list of business that enable paying through Monedero, go to the website: http://www.monedero.com.ar/monedero-beneficios.htm
You can check the balance of your Monedero online at: http://www.monedero.com.ar/saldo.asp
At this point you can only check the balance of your SUBE card via telephone at 0800-777-SUBE (7823). The balance is also shown at the end of each transaction.
Where to use it:
- All subway stations!
- Bus lines:5, 6, 8, 12, 20, 23, 28, 39, 50, 61, 62, 86, 88, 101, 102, 129, 150, 151, 168, 193 and 194.
- Trains: Urquiza ( Lacroze, Lynch, Lourdes, Tropezón, Bosch, Martín Coronado, Rubén Darío, Ejército de los Andes and Lemos stations) and Belgrano Norte (Retiro, Aristóbulo del Valle and Boulogne stations).
Buenos Aires is still a long way from solving the problem with monedas (coins), but this new system promises to be a big part of the solution!
