A private vehicle used as a shared public taxi that follows a fixed route (these are typically older sedans where passengers are often crowded together to maximize space).
Being squashed in the corner of a concho by the combined weight of four other passengers.
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A police transport vehicle or paddy wagon used to carry prisoners. (The name comes from a popular Brazilian soap opera that aired in the Dominican Republic).
They put your friend in a Doña Bella.
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Small minibuses or commuter vans that follow set routes (they are well-known for driving extremely fast and aggressively).
I do not like getting on a voladora.
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A nickname for the Daihatsu Hijet or similar small utility trucks, called this because they are commonly used to sell plantains from the truck bed (these micro-trucks are the standard vehicle for street vendors in the Dominican Republic).
Get the platanera for me, I have to work.
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A colorful bus used in the mountainous regions of the Dominican Republic to carry passengers and cargo simultaneously. Starchy food staples and luggage are piled on top to help the vehicle navigate steep hills. These iconic buses are common in towns like Jarabacoa and Constanza. (Guagua is the local word for bus; viveres refers to starchy staples like plantains and yams.)
guagua, bus.
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A police paddy wagon or transport van, also known as a guagua celular, where detainees are packed together in the back. In the Dominican Republic, these were famously grey Land Cruiser J70 utility vehicles. (The name literally means dog pound, suggesting prisoners are treated like stray animals).
They hauled them off in a perrera for starting a drunken brawl.
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A small pickup truck or utility vehicle commonly used in markets to transport goods, especially plantains and starchy root vegetables. (In the Dominican Republic, these are iconic street-vending vehicles often seen carrying heavy loads of produce).
A guagüita platanera cut him off and they took him to the Dario (a major trauma hospital in Santo Domingo).
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In the Dominican Republic, the Palo de la Cotorra is the improvised seat found in minibuses, consisting of a padded board placed in the gap behind the front seats to squeeze in more passengers (public minibuses often use these makeshift seats to increase capacity during busy hours).
It was rush hour and I had to ride on the Palo de la Cotorra.
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In the Dominican Republic, this refers to the back row of seats in a bus or public transport van.
The bus is empty, go to the cocina because that seat is for six people.
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A type of public transport bus used in the Dominican Republic during the late 1980s and mid-1990s. They were nicknamed this because they were painted in the colors of the Dominican flag. The bus system eventually collapsed due to government corruption (referring to the administration of President Joaquin Balaguer).
-- Hey man, move your hand because I am going to pull over right there, and do not slam the door on me. -- WATCH OUT FOR THE BANDERITA!
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The National Land Transport Office, a government agency that ran public buses in Santo Domingo from 1978 until the late 80s, when it collapsed due to corruption. By extension, the term refers to the buses themselves. They were the state-run alternative to private transport unions and were eventually replaced by the OMSA (the current government bus system in the Dominican Republic).
The ONATRATE buses had a sign saying collective on the side. She is driving a two-door automatic Mercedes, and I am rolling in an ONATRATE with one foot inside and the other hanging out.
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Beat-up public minibuses that drive at breakneck speeds, where the fare collector crams people in everywhere, even the trunk. (These privately owned vans are the primary, often chaotic form of transit in the Dominican Republic).
Fare collector: Where you headed? Passenger: To Moca. Fare collector: Get yourself way in the back!
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A woman who is easy to pick up, like a delivery order. (Refers to someone who is hyperactive, provocative, or sexually promiscuous).
material for making a tambora (a Dominican drum made of skin, a play on the word cuero which means both leather and a slut).
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A government bus. For 5 pesos you ride an oven, and for 10 you ride a steam oven. Created during President Leonel Fernandez's first term, it was a marvel back then: clean 5-peso buses, attendants, and excellent service. Over time it became just another government mess: rude staff, hour-long waits, unprofessional employees, disgusting buses, and constant frustration. (OMSA is the state-run bus system in the Dominican Republic).
1: Bro, let's go to Villa Mella. 2: Sure, let's take a minibus. 1: No man, let's take the OMSA for 10 pesos, one with the cold AC! 2: You think I'm stupid or what? Those things just blow steam. 1: Oh, so you want to spend 20 on a minibus? 2: No. 1: Well, OMSA it is then. Get your pillow because we're going to be sleeping there.
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A public bus driver belonging to a transportation union, known for acting like the road belongs to them and doing whatever they want. (Guagua is the Dominican term for a bus).
Hey babe, come sit right here.
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A multi-million dollar project built in the Dominican capital (Santo Domingo) without any justifiable reason. Honestly, if all that money had been used as toilet paper, it would have served a better purpose.
In the Dominican Republic there is no electricity, there is no food, there is no money, there is no education, but WE HAVE El Metro.
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A private bus used for transporting students (specifically referring to a well-known company in the Dominican Republic notorious for being extremely overcrowded).
You want to be packed in like a sardine? Want people rubbing against you in the heat? Then take a Badias bus.
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A subway system project in the Dominican Republic. Residents in the capital often complain about the chaos caused by its construction, though they eventually appreciate the relief from massive traffic jams (Leonel Fernandez was the president who initiated the project).
Hey, take it easy, El Metro is happening.
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A small passenger van that drives at high speed and stops anywhere to pick up or drop off riders. They always blast loud music and are usually pirate buses without official routes. They are run by a shaggy, grumpy driver and a picher (a fare collector who crams passengers inside). (In the Dominican Republic, the name literally means flyer due to how fast they drive).
I am going by voladora because taxis are expensive.
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