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Perhaps to speak of the "colectivo mendocino" (buses of Mendoza) is to enter controversies, because many local people assure that we are the true creators of the "colectivo" as is known now it. And it is that in 1914 already there was in our province a line of collective taxis with a nongreater capacity to the average dozen of passengers. All this before outside implemented in Buenos Aires. The small collective taxis of the 14 ' (Dean cars with rims of wood, massive rubbers and illumination to carbide) only circulated between the city (being its departure point and arrival the Plaza San Martin) and Rodeo de la Cruz (where it was the factory of his proprietors: Inocencio, José and Faustino Menéndez) with a frequency of two trips per day.

At 1918, the company “Menéndez” incorporates Ford cars with some modifications: the positioning of two parallel and faced seats in longitudinal sense, allowing to extend the capacity to nine passengers and putting in addition, four daily cars to work. Another one of the modifications, happened almost to the force, and is that from 1920 the fuel was not concerned, but that was necessary to acquire it in Luján de Cuyo, becoming general use "nafta América" ("America gasoline"), giving rise to the later appearance of the manual pumps.

For that then, already in 1918 the "Sociedad de Propietarios y Conductores de Vehículos" (“Society of Proprietors and Drivers of Vehicles”) had been created. The preoccupation grew to unite the city with the peripheral and but moved away places of her. For 1920, in the west of the mendocina city a factory that had gained great name and prestige made the carrozados modifications and of the cars that were going to leave to roll by the streets mendocinas. The factory at issue was property of Don Jose Ortega (Carrocerias Ortega), who led itself to cut to Ford Double Faeton incorporating a third seat to the original model and thus managing to extend the capacity of the vehicle to 11 passengers. In the Studebaker's this problem did not appear, since such they brought “transportines”, that was folding elements that allowed to locate between the seats front and back a row but.

In February, three units would arrive from Buenos Aires Stewart of three speeds and brakes, incorporated by Caproli and company, forming the company "Autobús Mendoza" and covering therefore the Mendoza-Luján Luján de Cuyo. These cars were being small, and constructed the poor reforms that were being gotten up to them were decidedly ugly and/or disposable for being “poor and ugly cars, made with the minimum purpose of incorporating greater passage”, says the newspaper "La Palabra" in their edition of the 29-11-23, page 4.

As of 1925 and having itself already dictated the "Reglamento General de Tráfico" (“General Regulation of Traffic”) dictated by the Municipality of the City of Mendoza (which ordered the transit and regulated the circulation of vehicles, also incorporating the payment of patents, that in the case of the omnibus, ascended to the amount of $ 100), towards 1925 the Menéndez company sends the model “Saure”, which presented the newness of two platforms for login and logout of the passage, and located in the left flank of the unit (is very important to remember, that by those years the sense of march by the streets was inverse, like which is used at the moment in countries of the United Kingdom). These modern units had a capacity superior to the 20 seats (made in esterilla, like those that had the tramways) and the chosen chassis to make them, were the Chevrolet, that had a great strength in its structures.

Towards 1926, the order arises from the reorganization of the transport of passengers, and already in February of the 26 ' and after the assumption of Alejandro Orfila like governor of the province, those changes become cash. The first measurement consisted of opening to a registry for drivers of buses and omnibus, cancelling itself the licenses given previously to companies and proprietors in character of transitory, the day 12-03-26. Trying to distribute the routes equitably, it was regulated to circulate around the urban radius, according to the importance of each district as far as his population nucleus and its connection with the bordering departments.

In order to postulate to the concession, the companies had to fulfill several requirements:

c) To have the car the patents of the current year and suburban numerical plates.

d) To have the omnibus the supports on the superior cover (roof), ... and before the car of a the service, is come to the positioning of the line number.

g) To have the omnibus cushioning of escape and apparatus in perfect conditions.

All these conditions, were published in the newspaper "La Palabra" of day 04-10-26 (page 5). On the basis of the necessity of the type of route, it was that the amount of units by branch was determined.

Also conditions like places for bus stop's (which were superior to the 10 minutes), urban tariffs ($ 0.10 by passenger. To Luján and Rodeo de la Cruz = $ 1 and to Lavalle = $ 1.50) and begins the beginning of the famous ticket "ida y vuelta", which offered smaller prices to those who buying both tickets. Is also regulated the system of “free pass” and credentials to Inspectors. The company Luz y Fuerza, when seeing itself at a disadvantage by the increasing competition, decides to write to the authorities being solicitd the installation of an auxiliary service of buses. The measurement was authorized, and was born therefore the line that covered the passage from streets San Martin and Corrientes to the Plaza de Godoy Cruz. Time later, authorized the creation of one second line of transport that united the points, from San Martin and the Heras to Sgto. Cabral and Paso de los Andes.

Later and already in the beginnings of year 1928, two units were gotten up like new features “White”, counting on a capacity superior to the 30 passengers and presenting a comfortable and modern aspect but, which also allowed him, to circulate with a speed superior to its predecessors. In February of 1928, Umberto Ricco and his father Rogelio (Italian immigrant been in Mendoza and manufacturer of horse vehicles) they send to Chile two small buses equipped for such reason. These were a Dodge 26 ' with the adaptation of two boxes of speed and a reformed Manchester, with double traction. The passage of this trip was integrated by Alfonsina Storni, the musicians Astor Bolognini and Bruno Shaw and Ing. Covarrubias. The trip cost $ 50 and I continue being made in successive opportunities. Mendoza counted for that then on 150 units of colectivos.

The beginnings were not simple since the earth and mountain roads were but propitious for horses that could leave the mud, that stops the small wheels of the cars of the time which they were something novel and simultaneously experimental. Day 10 of the month of November of year 1928 in Mendoza is created (like in all Argentina) the Collective Taxi, the one that would be the predecessor of the group that all we know, of experimental way was put in practice which in the rest of the country also was arising like an average one more from transport, which was synonymous of rapidity and efficiency. The 28 ' were a year of great world-wide crisis triggered by the agricultural problems that suffered the North American economy and the threats of new imminent world war, but were as well as a group of taxi drivers was decided to create this innovation that would revolutionize the transport: “Taxi-Colectivo”. Thus when the customer was little and people had decided to let take taxis, a new alternative arose to be able to satisfy the demands of passengers in Argentina. One projects then that one of experimental way east new service the localities of Mendoza and Godoy Cruz, until the Taxi Bus de Mendoza company establishes the definitive route for its 20 cars, which had capacity for 6 or 7 seated people.

The ticket is stablished in 10 cents and it located itself to the service to work by 30 days in experimental way, although the results were not good for diverse reasons, the service already had gained a place in means and its destiny was the one to prevail since always mighty Mendoza (being the one of the main points of the country and great geographic and strategic value for being passage to direct Chile and the Argentina exit to the Pacific Ocean), needed one more an option terrestrial transport.

Immediate, the Taxi-Colectivo obtains one immediate popularity and acceptance immediately, but also to the being experimental means and that not yet were in a continuous development, saturate their units by the high demand and very begins a factor known by all the Argentineans “hung traveling”. Although before the units were small and with few seats, at the moment many ample and modern units also undergo this flagellum due to the negligence of some inescrupulous industralists to place but units in rush hours and routes that therefore demand it. The Collective Taxi begins to be criticized hard since the units that serve are in calamitous state (with deficiencies in its construction and special in the damping systems since generally they circulated overloaded and they caused a very annoying shaking for the passengers) and deteriorated to the being already very old vehicles, reason why the experimental system of the time has by result a failure, but it would not die but that would return to resurge improving his conditions.

In 30 years ' the service was modernized slowly and they were extended the passages to which the units had access. The CITA (Compañía Inglesa del Transporte Automotor - In english: English Company of the Automotive Transport) is gotten up to the service which begins offering its services from the old terminal located in Alem and Primitivo de la Reta. The colectivos whereupon counted the company not only had driver, but also Guard, whose task was quite complex and delicate, specially when the colectivo went full: to cut the ticket, to receive, to give the returned one, to put order in the car when some student went with spirit to make pranks and as if this outside little had to lower in each grade crossing and to give the approval to the driver of the unit to be able to advance after making sure that there was no train next to happen. The company CITA was the predecessor whom today we know like Cooperativa TAC.

The starting point for the definitive appearance of the colectivo mendocino would seat the historical precedent of the alluvium of Cacheuta that 1934 destroys the electrical plant constructed in the decade of the 20 ' and which it served as supplying to great part of the population. So it is so the service of tramways is left braking temporarily and is then that the colectivo takes its true impulse that would catapult it to being used like means of more popular and useful transport given the versatility and the lack from rigidity in its routes the one that constantly allows him to make modifications in its routes without additional expenses.

It's 1958 and when it thought that everything was solved with the arrival of the colectivo, begins the population to occur account with which it had covered a necessity: the one of the transport, but this was generating another problem as well: the contamination. It was then when it was decided to look for solution to him the disadvantage caused by these great vehicles and one reached the conclusion that there was an exit that would agree to all the inhabitants: to buy and to arm a network of trolebuses.

Trolebús (The trolleybus) was like a common vehicle of passengers but with the extra of which it did not contaminate for being supplied through electrical energy. 15 trolley are acquired to supply to the San José (today well-known like “Dorrego”) and Villa Nueva lines. (See report of TROLEBUSES in spanish language for more information).

In 1972 it says the Los Andes newspaper: “Mendoza undergoes a difficult economic situation. (..) After general stop works for the people of 48 hours arranged by the CGT, the teachers they do not begin the classes and they carry out a manifestation in front of the Government House. Days later vehement proposals as a result of the increases in the electrical tariffs take place, that arrive at 300 percent. The retailers make blackouts and manifestations are organized (..). The 3 of April in times of the night resign (the governor) Gabrielli. A day later, manifestations in front of the Union of the Teaching and the CGT try to be dissolved by the police. The demonstrators go then towards the Government House, where they regroup. The amount of demonstrators is considered in 15 thousands (..). While Carlos Fiorentini speaks, Secretary General of the CGT, begins to fall tear gases. The demonstrators respond with pieces of cement and stones. He disperses is total. Bullet firings are listened to and different groups advance on downtown. The violence acts continue during several days, including zones of Guaymallén and the Heras. Altogether 108 automobiles and several are burned trolleys besides to take place fires in commerce houses and acts of looting. The fact is known with the name of the “Mendozazo”.”

As a result of these confrontations Mendoza as it were mentioned previously it loses several units of trolleys.

Sure, the population of Argentina increased and to the services and the demand on the part of the passengers also in the matter of transports. And Mendoza having his humble terminal of Primitivo de la Reta street (today in he himself place the “Huentala Hotel” is elevated), decides right in the center to transfer it by the caused chaos of transit and because it was being small, she is as well as she is transferred to the present estate of the Av. Costanera (Gob. Videla) of the department of Guaymallén, being inaugurated in 1972 by the Tte. Gral. Alejandro A. Lanusse in exercise of the presidency of the Nation.

This is in summary, the history of the group in the Province of Mendoza, beginning by old Taxi-Colectivo until arriving at the Terminal of Mendoza (today well-known like “Terminal del Sol”) to be shaped the events thus that outside took to Mendoza to be cradle of great companies as Cooperativa T.A.C. national pride and first in arriving at all the country with their lines.

And like rare thing, we left one of the first posters with which just appeared Cooperativa T.A.C. it promoted its services. The car emblem of the cuyana company was by a that then modern Leyland.

Report: Luis Bohé (COLECTIVOSDEMENDOZA.com.ar)

Photos: Anuario Los Andes (1882-1982) -
Additionar bibliography and photos: Los Andes - "La Memoria de los Mendocinos) - Diario UNO - "Mendoza: Historia y Perspectivas".
T.A.C. Poster: El Diario de Cuyo - "400 Aniversario de Mendoza"
Specially thanks to: Pablo M. Hernández, for the material.