El Siglo newspaper questions how Kia Motors and its Kiamaster vehicles got to be included in the government’s Plan Renove which initially was created to modernize city transit. The Plan was later revised to include cargo equipment such as lifts and a variety of trucks. El Siglo questions a Kiamaster company announcement in a Bloomberg news release from Seoul saying the company received an order for 253 vehicles from the Dominican government. This contradicts the 178 vehicles that appear in purchase orders from the government. El Siglo also questions why Kia Motors was included in the Plan when it did not participate in the tender procedure for US$150 million in vehicle imports. The Plan has been criticized for many irregularities. The commission in charge of the purchases is made up of government officers and union transport leaders. The Plan was initially justified by the government on grounds that a survey showed there are 32,000 vehicles used for city and intercity transit. Of these, 72% are more than 15 years old and 81.5% are over 10 years old.
