- Thread starter MiamiDRGuy
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Airport - Downtown Express
it may be a little off topic but here how it's done where i come from. there is a regular shuttle service from berlin airports to fer cities in poland. the service is every hour and you need to book your seat by email/telephone. this way the company knows what kind of a vehicles to send. they have vans that seat 10 and buses that seat over 50 plus trailers for luggage. they always send slightly bigger vehicle because there will be people who arrived late (delayed flight) or forgot to make arrangement. the ride to my city (round trip) costs about 40 dollars and it is a 2 hour drive or so. an airport taxi would charge few hundred euro.
of course the client base is different than here. it's polaks who live abroad and travel regularly to visit family. the are few companies doing this shuttle service and they are always busy. there are hundreds of polaks using this service daily.
i wonder if airport shuttle to/from SDQ could work more like metro/caribe: one stop in SD, one in santiago, one in POP.
but who am i kidding, taxi unions would kill anyone trying to do this and burn every vehicle they own. there is a reason that neither of the two large carriers (metro and CT) do not travel all over the country as it is and have limited rutas. not even they dare to make a move against transport unions.
of course the client base is different than here. it's polaks who live abroad and travel regularly to visit family. the are few companies doing this shuttle service and they are always busy. there are hundreds of polaks using this service daily.
i wonder if airport shuttle to/from SDQ could work more like metro/caribe: one stop in SD, one in santiago, one in POP.
but who am i kidding, taxi unions would kill anyone trying to do this and burn every vehicle they own. there is a reason that neither of the two large carriers (metro and CT) do not travel all over the country as it is and have limited rutas. not even they dare to make a move against transport unions.
A2B Transfers ran a service similar to that a few years ago. You purchased your ticket online and gave your flight info. The fare was less than half of what a taxi would cost. I used A2B Transfers about six times before they cut the SD centro route out. Reason being the six times I used them I was the only person on a 15 passenger shuttle bus.
I honestly don't see that many people landing at SDQ where a shuttle bus to a predetermined stop in SD centro it would benefit. First you haul your luggage onto a shuttle bus, next you haul it off the shuttle bus to put it in a taxi to take you to your final destination. Just not worth it to me..................
EL PASAJERO SE CONOCE POR LA MALETA, you are concidered to be a 5/5 client for Taxi drivers in DR... UN CLIENTE BLANCO, it doesn't have nothing to do with SKIN COLOR it's just a Dominican exprecion for clients who pay the right fees and an extra...TIP...
JJ
it does have something to do with color. Dominicans believe that white people are better passengers, for reasons best known to them. it is nothing to apologize for, but it is what it is.
The reason why most locals are being picked up by family is probably because they don't want them to spend 1500 on a cab (gas to spend being 500 pesos). I know that if there would be a shuttle service I'd never ask my family to bring me to or fetch me from the airport again.
that's the thinking behind berlin shuttle. why have family burn petrol, wait at the airport forking extra for parking, waste time it takes to drive back and forth and risk life and limb in traffic or precarious weather conditions? the shuttle can take you to the city centre and then you can take normal cheap ass cab for 250 pesos.
This is a example, 64 passenger bus what it would look like:
Bus display (its a used bus goes for $90,000 compare to new one for $500,000)
Inside the bus, it has baggage rack so people can put their bags there then sit and enjoy the ride to downtown SD.
Bus display (its a used bus goes for $90,000 compare to new one for $500,000)
Inside the bus, it has baggage rack so people can put their bags there then sit and enjoy the ride to downtown SD.
That holds 20 people and their luggage, it's a shuttle bus between terminals!
You really do your research guy, did you ride on this one as a kid?
That holds 20 people and their luggage, it's a shuttle bus between terminals!
You really do your research guy, did you ride on this one as a kid?
go easy on him, Tambo....
Yes, it would be nice but there is no such animal. That would make to much sense and make it too easy for Gringos to get where they want to go at a reasonable price. No can do, the taxi is waiting for you.
Would like to encourage you to look into it. If you can get past the taxi mafia, would start with the small bus. And would have it stop at a major shopping center, such as Galeria 360.
Actually, once when arriving from abroad with my husband caught a ride with a friend. To not inconvenience them taking us home, we asked to be dropped off at Galeria 360. From there we arranged to take one of the taxis that are on call there. Ride home was RD$200, instead of RD$1,500.
I think the time has come for shuttle service. It is a habit that Dominicans don't have, primarily because it is inexistent. But if we could take a taxi to Galeria 360, and from there the shuttle to the airport, I think many would go that way. Once people know more about it, more would take the service.
Main difficulty will be the taxi mafia.
Take note that the Quality Hotel that is some 5 minutes from the airport has not been able to set up a shuttle for the same reason of the taxi mafia.
One could do an undercover set up and film the wrongdoers making their threats or even executing their dare with a mock up start up, that is prior to the real start of the operation with real passengers. I would study ways mafias are broken. Nothing is impossible.
Actually, once when arriving from abroad with my husband caught a ride with a friend. To not inconvenience them taking us home, we asked to be dropped off at Galeria 360. From there we arranged to take one of the taxis that are on call there. Ride home was RD$200, instead of RD$1,500.
I think the time has come for shuttle service. It is a habit that Dominicans don't have, primarily because it is inexistent. But if we could take a taxi to Galeria 360, and from there the shuttle to the airport, I think many would go that way. Once people know more about it, more would take the service.
Main difficulty will be the taxi mafia.
Take note that the Quality Hotel that is some 5 minutes from the airport has not been able to set up a shuttle for the same reason of the taxi mafia.
One could do an undercover set up and film the wrongdoers making their threats or even executing their dare with a mock up start up, that is prior to the real start of the operation with real passengers. I would study ways mafias are broken. Nothing is impossible.
Lessons to be learned from Thailand? Read this story about how the taxi mafia in Phuket is being tackled.
Bangkok Post article
Wait until the Metro crosses the river and let the shuttle bus run from the airport to the last stop of the Metro on the airport side of the river. This way the shuttle bus would never have to deal with SD city traffic.
The Metro is a Beautiful Thing...................
That would be a dream operation -- a shuttle to the metro from the airport. I think "Take the Metro to the Airport" would be popular. Right now, the most time to get to the airport is that spent just getting out of the city.
I would make the proposal to Diandino Pena, of the OPRET office.
You would need to factor in the cost of the clash with the taxi mafia -- an undercover swat-type operation, perhaps.
I would make the proposal to Diandino Pena, of the OPRET office.
You would need to factor in the cost of the clash with the taxi mafia -- an undercover swat-type operation, perhaps.
It cost me $6.00 Dollars from West palm beach to the MIA terminal, first time I take the Metro... The bus connector was right there waiting for the passengers and it's free.
Will never see this in DR!
JJ