Hispaniola Spanish Language School

What about public transportation in Dominican Republic? 3/10 

Hi fellows..finally we will end the first part of transportation, the easiest one and then we will arrive at the core of our argument..the Urban Transportation in DR. We still have a little argument but, as English say: the last but not the least. In fact we have to expalin and you to understand very good the difference between Expreso and Locals “guaguas”. Please note that the term “Local” is adopted by me (it doesn’t exist in the real life),  because I needed a way to differentiate the Expreso guaguas from the other guaguas that are not Expresso…simple, isn’i it? My suggestion is not to ask for a Local Guagua anywhere in Dominican Republic if you want to avoid folkloric answers. So..let’s the show begin!

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Locals vs Expresos. A local guagua stops frequently to pick up or drop off people wherever they want along the route.  An Expreso, on the other hand, has fixed pick-up and drop-off spots.  Another difference is that an Expreso accommodates only one passenger per seat (not squished together) and almost always has the air conditioning on, even when the guagua is parked, so the engine is running and all windows are closed (the glass is normally tinted dark).  Locals usually have the windows open, no air conditioning, and are frequently in poorer condition than the Expresos.  Passengers are urged to squeeze at least 5 into seats made for 4 people.  Locals are very popular among Dominicans due to their low prices, but because they stop so frequently (adding extra time to arrival at one´s destination) and are uncomfortable, they are not as appealing as the Expresos to tourists.

Expresos operate out of the metropolitan Santo Domingo area, but mostly for relatively short distances. If you are in Santo Domingo and you want to go to Boca Chica, San Cristobal, Playa Caribe…you need an Expreso. A little farther, like to Juan Dolio or even La Romana, you still want to take an Expreso to save time. Wherever the major bus companies (Metro Tours, Caribe Tours) don’t go, there is an Expreso waiting for you. How do you go to Bávaro and Punta Cana? With an Expreso of course! The route to Bávaro and Punta Cana is a long route, but there are no major bus companies that go there, so the Expresos resolve your transportation problem.  About the only negative thing we can say about Expresos is, because they are express buses, they are frequently driven very, very fast and recklessly.

Carros públicos or Conchos. The carro público is mostly for urban transportation, but there is one route operating between Santo Domingo and Las Americas International Airport, and a few other relatively short routes. These routes are normally served by large vans that accommodate more passengers than a car (about 8) and also have the ability to carry some luggage (for an additional fee). These carros públicos don’t have fixed routes because they don’t make intermediary stops. They also have no schedule, since they only leave when they are filled with the maximum number of passengers.  The advantage?  They are much cheaper than a taxi.

Now we are really done with Interurban transportation..I guess ..wel at least for the moment. In Dominican Republic everything is in continuous and perpetual change so i am afraid that this article may become obsolete very quickly..
Well, in any case with next article I will enter in the most exiting part of this little essay: PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION..(applause..)

(to be continued…)