Transportation in Santo Domingo

Khar Yna

New member
May 18, 2011
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Just move to Santo Domingo and It?s been very difficult for me to get around. For security reasons I am told I should only take private Taxis which are extremely expensive. I want to try public transportation. I?m advised to stay away from public cars and motoconchos. My best bet is to learn the Omsa route to get to where I am going. The problem is I barely know street names and the map on the omsa site show streets the size of ants. I can?t tell where I can catch one bus and where I can transfer to another. Unlike the public buses in the US I don?t know what the time frame for the routes are. Does it stop every hour every half hour... OMSA OMSA

??:confused:How can I get around SANTO DOMINGO Safely without it costing an arm and a leg to get to my destination:confused:??
 
Aug 19, 2004
572
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Public transport is not great in Santo Domingo. I would not rely on the OMSA routes as they run to infrequent schedules and are generally over crowded.

Don't know what your budget is but Apollo Taxis usually charge about 160 pesos for a trp in the central area. When I have been in Santo Domingo I usually rely on them and stick to specific areas of town and walk. Of course this may not be practical for you.
 

Caribbeandreamto

Advertiser
Mar 26, 2011
461
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18
caribbeandreamto.net
The public transport in Santo Domingo is safe. You would take normal precautions as with most major cities. Taking the public transportation late at night is not recommended. During the day, it is perfectly safe.

The OMSA buses have fixed routes. You can see those routes on this dr1guide map: Maps | dr1guide

The OMSA buses were great back in 2003, 04, 05, when the program was in it's infancy. Unfortunately, there has been little upkeep and many of those original buses are out of commission. Taking the OMSA in 2011 is a more frustrating experience than anything else. You'll most likely see a dozen carros publicos and guaguas pass by as you wait for one OMSA. Ironically, most of the buses you see broken down on the streets of Santo Domingo are not the small private buses that look like they're falling apart; instead, they're the gov't owned OMSA buses.

Take carros publicos and guaguas during the day and taxis at night.

Also, may I ask who told you the public transportation was too dangerous to take? Have these people ever taken the public transportation system in Santo Domingo? I ask, mainly, because I was speaking to a lady yesterday who will be visiting the North Coast in 2 weeks. This woman was so worried about what "other people" had warned her about visiting the DR: malaria, crime, food poisoning, etc. that she looked almost upset to be vacationing in the Caribbean! Of course, none of these "other people" had ever visited the Dominican Republic.

I think people are just scared about what they don't know.
 
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Anastacio

Banned
Feb 22, 2010
2,965
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If you are going to live in the city, you have to start to use the city like the rest of the people who live here. Very very few people cab everywhere. Use the publico cars like everyone else. It is not difficult to get the hang of. Basically tell the driver where you want to go, and ask him to boot you out where you need to jump into another one. Don't worry, he will, that space is important to him. You will never figure out the exact science behind where everyone is going at rush hour, it is a case of jumping one to the other and within a week you should know how much you need to pay each diver for his leg of the journey. Don't pay straight away, have bit chat, find out exactly where he is going, wait until someon else gets in and see how much they hand over, some will try to charge you RD$10 more maybe 20, being foreign. I can not think of any reason in the world why not to get a public car, they are the city mode of transport, for everyone without a car.
 

jaguarbob

Bronze
Mar 2, 2004
1,427
60
48
Just move to Santo Domingo and It?s been very difficult for me to get around. For security reasons I am told I should only take private Taxis which are extremely expensive. I want to try public transportation. I?m advised to stay away from public cars and motoconchos. My best bet is to learn the Omsa route to get to where I am going. The problem is I barely know street names and the map on the omsa site show streets the size of ants. I can?t tell where I can catch one bus and where I can transfer to another. Unlike the public buses in the US I don?t know what the time frame for the routes are. Does it stop every hour every half hour... OMSA OMSA

??:confused:How can I get around SANTO DOMINGO Safely without it costing an arm and a leg to get to my destination:confused:??

been living in the capital for many years...use publicos daily...what I did when I first moved to city,I spent about every other day getting on a guagua or caroconcho and rode it to find where it went.Wrote it. down..
as of today,publicos are either 20 or 25 pesos.It is best to have the correct change all the time.
and they are safe.Will be getting on one shortly,going to krispy kreem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bob