Guagua

A guagua is a local bus for daytime public transport. They can be hailed on the street and will stop wherever you want. They have a driver and a conductor who takes your money (no tickets are issued). It’s good to have small change ready. Most don’t have air conditioning. Seats are on a first come first served basis. In rush hours/peak periods a guagua can get packed to the brim full of people, sitting, standing and often on makeshift seating in the isle. It’s not uncommon, especially in the north of the island, to share your seat with chickens (I once shared mine with a goat). Guaguas provide a truly authentic taste of Dominican transportation.

Expresso Bus: For longer journeys eg. to Higuey, Boca de Yuma, La Romana, Santo Domingo etc you can also take the Expresso bus which generally runs direct, without stops, to the destination. You can catch these from the Bavaro bus terminal (Parada) in Fruisa next to the police station and opposite the gas station. Seat tickets must be purchased in advance and are issued with your seat number on them. Tickets are generally 20 pesos more than the regular guaguas. On the return journey they may be able to drop you off at your hotel entrance, if it’s on their route – ask the driver.

The Expreso buses have air conditioning (bring something to cover up as it can get chilly onboard) and often show movies – badly, dubbed kung-foo movies are very popular.