Commuting From Palermo To Pilar

[Jenna B]

Hi there, I'm a 27-year-old medical student from New Zealand, and I am in the process of organising a 6-week medical elective in Buenos Aires for 2014. The company through which I'm doing this is placing me in Austral University Hospital in Pilar, and they are also organising accommodation for me in Palermo. Is this daily commute going to be sustainable, or would I be better off trying to find a furnished apartment in Pilar? Would this actually be possible - is short-term furnished apartment rental available in Pilar? Note that my accommodation in Palermo is included in the package, so additional accommodation will come at an additional cost.

Also, if I decide to stay in Palermo and commute, is the San Martín line really as dangerous as I have heard? I will not have access to a car, so I will be fully reliant on public transport.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[Iznogud]

Enjoy Palermo, take the 1 hour plus ride on the 57 Preferencial bus from Plaza Italia. Bus leaves every 15 minutes. It's comfortable, quiet and you can sleep at ease.

Stopped using the train after a string of incidents,

 

[PhilipDT]

Take the 57. The San Martin is not as dangerous as people make it out to be but its definitely worse than the a/c equipped bus

 

[Ceviche]

Stay in palermo and take the bus ride.

If you are a home person and not fond of socializing or going out, stay in pilar and save 2 hours journey daily.

 

[Iznogud]

Take the 57. The San Martin is not as dangerous as people make it out to be but its definitely worse than the a/c equipped bus

I almost shot 5 guys one early morning. That's why I stopped using it.
Was headed to Pilar around 8-9 am and girl riding with me were the only passengers in the coach a couple of stations before Pilar when a group of loud punks boarded.
I could barely understand what they were saying loudly to each other and first thought they were deaf.
A couple of them kept approachimng and circling our seats. when I got a whiff of the glue they were sniffing and realised they were stoned out of their senses. The last 15 minutes of the ride I decided I would shoot them if three or more tried to approach us at the same time. That was my last willing trip on that train.

On another occasion, similar early hours and a pretty much empty train, a guy jumped off the train right after some lady screamed.
He was getting tired of jerking off by himself and recruited a helping hand of an unsuspecting lady sitting next to him. She was not in the mood.

Those are my most vivid memories of the train. And the ones that decided me to look for alternatives.
Used it on a weekly basis for a few years to go to work at the Parque Industrial. The crowd at the station is not a happy crowd and the train leaving BsAs was quite full early in the morning but almost empty and felt unsafe arriving to Pilar.

The 57 is well worth the money and peace of mind. Also easier to make connections with other transport means.

 

[Aleina Dee]

It all depends what lifestyle you want to lead,whether you want to be out every day after work and if you feel you would be capable of sustaining it.Another consideration is where in Palermo and if you need to work nights.Bear in mind that Palermo is big,you might be far from the 57 route, so you should check the addresses on a map.www.omnilineas.com.ar is a good one. Personally I would choose to live further out starting in Belgrano along the 57 bus route.

 

[Ingrid]

Other than the 57 public bus, there's also a private van available going between Pilar <> Capital Federal: http://www.boomerangturismo.com.ar/recorrido.htm

They run on a specific schedule and you do need to call ahead to reserve your spot, tell them which pick up point you'll be getting on. They have pick up/drop off points but not as many as 57 along the way. It costs more than 57, but I don't know how much nowadays. I did it once a few years ago, did an early commute from a gated community in Pilar to Microcentro. I think I paid AR$15...it was a time when everything was still cheap. The passengers on there were all going to work in the city and they seemed to know each other! (Reminded me of my school bus days when I was a kid!)

I remember they picked me up right outside the community gate so may be they'd 'customize' it to a certain extend if the destination is not too far off from the highway? Anyway, it is definitely a more 'luxury' way to commute between these 2 places.

Good luck!

 

[Jenna B]

Excellent, thank you all for your advice! Very much appreciated

 

[walkingtwig]

trebol also run private mini-buses from capital to pilar.

http://www.trebolexpress.com.ar/