National District Mayor Carolina Mejía road away on the first electric horse-drawn carriage now servicing the Colonial City. For the inaugural ride she was accompanied by Monika Infante, president of the Santo Domingo Tourism Cluster.
The city government is participating in a program to replace the horse-drawn buggies with electric-powered ones. The Inter American Development Bank (IDB), the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture and the Banco Popular Dominicano are sponsoring the program.
The plan is to set up a public and private sector alliance to transform the mobility system in the Colonial City. Mayor Mejía said the plan responds to the city leadership’s commitment to respect the animals and the environment and leave a legacy for future generations. Residents and tourists can visit the area while enjoying the electric car rides.
“This beautiful project will give an air of modernity to this city, in the midst of this historic architecture, the tour of the colonial city will be an attraction that adds value to Santo Domingo,” said the mayor of Santo Domingo.
Mejía explained that the same drivers of the horse carriages will now drive the electric cars.
The president of the Santo Domingo Tourism Cluster, Monika Infante, highlighted the alliance between the mayor’s office, the private sector and the organization she directs to respect animal rights, and at the same time bring to this historic area of the city a modern transport system with 11 electric cars.
Andando, a Dominican company, converted the horse-driven buggies to electric ones. Andando is a venture managed by 26-year old entrepreneur Maria Laura Dietsch and Livio Muzzolini. They are first in their field around the world.
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National District Government
1 October 2020