Owners of dilapidated carros publicos, buses, minibuses, microbuses have cut a deal with the government whereby these will gradually be removed from main city streets. The Oficina Metropolitana de Servicios de Autobuses (OMSA), the new government division that operates the large buses that are circulating on the new transport corridors on main thoroughfares is in charge of the program. OMSA signed an agreement with Expreso 27 de Febrero, Expreso 670, Unión de Propietarios de Autobuses and Cooperativa El Sol. As per the agreement, the cooperatives and unions will receive RD$8,000 the first year, RD$9,000 the second year, and RD$10,000 the third year. The fee for the fourth and fifth years of the five-year contract was not published. The government department will also buy the vehicles of the unions at their appraised values. By contract, the unions will not be able to operate parallel routes that compete with OMSA units. Engineer Ditrén said that the same contract is being offered to Fenatrano, another union that recently stopped an eight day hunger strike when the government agreed to talks with them. Ditrén said Fenatrano would have to accept the same terms.
