TRUFI
A shared taxi or small van used for public transportation that follows a set route (the name is a contraction of taxi de ruta fija, or fixed-route taxi).
Let's take a TRUFI to El Prado.
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Tag: transporte
Definitions tagged transporte in the street dictionary.
BoliviaRecula
Moving in reverse or backing up. It is specifically used when talking about parking or maneuvering a vehicle.
Back in de recula so you are lined up right! Go ahead, I will let you know!
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PanamáEscarabajo
A hatchback car that resembles a beetle due to its rounded rear shape.
I don't like those Escarabajo style cars because nothing fits in there, dude. Just a handful of people and that's it.
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Paño
A term used in Panama for major thoroughfares, highways, or long avenues, especially those connecting industrial zones. It specifically refers to the lanes of the road (a four-lane highway is referred to as having four paños).
A: He got run over because he tried to run across the four Paño and fell. B: Why didnt he use the bridge, buddy? It wouldnt have cost him anything...
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Panel
A mid-sized van or minibus used for transport, typically seating around 20 passengers.
A: So how are we getting to the beach? B: We will rent a panel, buddy. That is the least of our worries.
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Secretario
An assistant on public transportation who collects fares from passengers and relays information like upcoming stops to the driver. (These helpers are a fixture on Panama's traditional buses).
My son works as a bus secretario to pay for his studies. He is very responsible. My boyfriend is a secretario and I am not ashamed to say it.
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Lif
Derived from the English word leave, used to ask for a ride or a lift to a destination. (Panamanian slang frequently features phonetic adaptations of English terms due to the historical US presence in the Canal Zone).
A: Well, I am heading out, friend, I have to go downtown. B: Are you going downtown? Hey, give me a Lif, man.
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Chata
A common slang term for a pickup truck or utility van.
Here comes the chata! Now we can move the furniture.
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Argentinaremo
A slang term for a remis (a private car service similar to a taxi that is usually pre-booked through a local agency or by phone rather than hailed on the street).
Hey, I am leaving. Will you call me a cab or a remo?
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sodero
The delivery person who brings siphons of sparkling water to homes. He drives a truck through neighborhoods, swapping crates of empty returnable bottles for full ones (in Argentina, having seltzer delivered in heavy glass or plastic siphons is a common household tradition).
Leave the siphons by the door, the sodero should be coming by any minute now.
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Zorra
A two-wheeled hand truck or dolly used to transport boxes, bottles, or other heavy items.
A zorra full of files and binders arrived at the post office to be sorted.
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¡Parada!
The command passengers shout to a bus driver to indicate they want to get off at the next stop (in Panama, public transport riders often signal the driver verbally rather than using a bell or button).
You have to call for the parada when you see the pink building, I live next door. Driver, parada!
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guarda
A train conductor or ticket inspector responsible for verifying that passengers have paid for their tickets.
The guarda got on and asked us for tickets.
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Busito
A small public transit vehicle, such as a minibus or a van, that usually carries about 20 passengers or fewer.
We are going to rent a busito so we can all go to the beach | The busito crashed into a truck, but it is not known who was at fault
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trolebús
An electric bus powered by overhead wires that was a major part of Argentine urban transit during most of the 20th century. While it once operated in many major cities including Buenos Aires, it currently only survives in Rosario, Cordoba, and Mendoza. It is frequently referred to by the shortened name, trole.
Are we going to take the trolebús?
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colegial
A school bus or van used specifically for student transportation (in Panama, these are often private vehicles or small buses contracted by parents).
"The man driving the colegial is named Ramiro" : "My dad does not have time to take me to school, so they pay for a colegial for me"
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Busero
A bus driver (In Panama, this term usually refers to public transport drivers, historically linked to the privately owned and brightly decorated buses known as 'diablos rojos').
Pay the busero before you get off. Being a busero is a decent job.
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tachero
An Argentine slang term for a cabbie or taxi driver (tacho is a colloquial word for a taxi in Argentina).
The tachero wouldn't stop talking to me the whole trip. Insufferable.
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tacho
A slang term for a taxi. (In Argentina, the driver is known as a tachero).
It is raining. Let's hail a tacho and go home.
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Bote
A lift or a ride. The act of driving someone to a destination as a favor.
"Dad, can you give me a bote to the mall?" | "Julio, are you leaving already? Can you give me a bote?"
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chiva
A mid-sized public bus or shared transport vehicle (in Panama, these are often modified vans or pickup trucks used for local transit in residential or rural areas).
What time does the chiva pass by? | I had to take a chiva from a different route because the one for this route never showed up.
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Diablo rojo
A type of bus used on certain routes in Panama City, famous for being brightly painted with colorful designs and portraits of celebrities or fictional characters (these are usually retired US school buses).
The diablo' rojo' are very dangerous, the people who drive them are always going like crazy. Watch out for the diablo rojo.
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concho
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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República DominicanaMicro
A public bus for passenger transport, synonymous with colectivo or bus. In the city of La Plata, Micro is used for short-distance trips while colectivo refers to medium and long distances (in most of Argentina, Micro usually refers to a long-distance coach).
Where does the Micro 518 stop?
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Colectivo
The standard term for a public city bus or passenger transport (in Argentina, these buses are the primary mode of urban transit and were originally shared taxis).
Yesterday I took the Colectivo that drops me off at the university.
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Vaca
An old-fashioned, clunky, or low-quality bicycle.
With that vaca you will not even make it to the Mirador to exercise. (The Mirador refers to a major park in Santo Domingo popular for outdoor fitness.)
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Triciculo
A Dominican mispronunciation of the word for tricycle. It is a three-wheeled vehicle powered by pedals or a modified motor, with a wooden or metal cargo box over the front axle used for selling or hauling merchandise. These versatile vehicles are found throughout the country, where the operator uses them to transport almost anything.
It is used to sell starchy staples, vegetables, and fruit; you can carry a pot over a burner to sell boiled corn, pasteles en hoja (mashed plantains or tubers steamed in leaves), or butchered chicken; people use them for moving, hauling scrap, or collecting bottles. In short, the Triciculo in the Dominican Republic becomes whatever its owner needs it to be: imagination is the limit.
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Guagüita Platanera
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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Ninja
A high performance sportbike or racing motorcycle designed for speed, unlike a dirt bike (known locally as a saltamonte) which is for motocross. The term is derived from the Kawasaki Ninja line of motorcycles.
They lent him a Ninja and he started burning rubber.
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A calitomé
Refers to being carried on someone's back, like a piggyback ride (this term is common in the southern region of the Dominican Republic).
They had to carry me a calitomé to get across the puddle.
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Recta de Azua
The most famous stretch of straight highway in the country, located at the entrance to the town of Azua. It is not the longest (about 9 or 10 km) but it is the most iconic (it is a notorious section of the Sanchez Highway known for speeding).
I tested a Chevrolet Spark on the recta de Azua and hit 60.
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Muertorista
A name for reckless, death-defying motorcycle drivers in the Dominican Republic (a portmanteau of the words muerto, meaning dead, and motorista, meaning motorcyclist).
Go to any motorcycle taxi stand and you will find a pack of muertoristas.
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Los Dueños del País
A nickname for the powerful public transportation unions in the Dominican Republic, who are notorious for using surprise strikes and aggressive tactics to pressure the government. They are known for acting like they are above the law and frequently complain when the traffic police (historically called AMET) try to stop them for violations. (The name literally translates to The Owners of the Country, mocking their immense influence over daily life and mobility).
I got to work at 8:45 today, thanks to Los Dueños del País.
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Roka
A brand of pickup trucks assembled in the Dominican Republic in the early 1990s. They featured Datsun 1200 and 1500 engines and were available in standard and van versions. Some are still in circulation today. These were preceded by the RM or Cacique models, cargo vehicles designed by Army General Ramiro Matos.
Roka, the Dominican vehicle.
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Honda 70
The quintessential motorcycle of the Dominican people. (This specific model is a cultural icon in the Dominican Republic due to its durability and its common use for personal transport and delivery services).
Forget any Harley, the real legend is the Honda 70.
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Palo de la Cotorra
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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Cepillo
A game played by children and adults where participants spot and count Volkswagen Beetles. It is the local equivalent of the game Punch Buggy or Slug Bug (in the Dominican Republic, the classic Beetle is called a Cepillo because its shape resembles a handheld scrub brush).
- Cepillo! - A blue cepillo! - That is not a cepillo.
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cocina
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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Esquina Caliente
A bustling intersection with heavy commercial activity and transit hubs where major routes converge. In local neighborhoods, it describes corners prone to fights and tension, usually near a colmadon (a neighborhood grocery store that serves as a bar). In baseball, it is the nickname for third base due to the speed of hits sent to that area.
The Esquina Caliente of Herrera. Duarte and Paris (a famously hectic commercial and transit hub in Santo Domingo).
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Banderita
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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cuquita
The original cuquitas were Bajaj passenger motor-scooters used for public transport in the past, specifically on routes like Tiradentes Avenue to the UASD (the state university) and in rural areas. They fit about six passengers and were considered comfortable. Today, the term refers to Japanese mini-trucks or micro-vans.
I am going to catch a cuquita to the university.
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ONATRATE
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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Pariguela
A large pannier or basket made of esparto grass that is designed to be placed on the back of a horse or mule to transport cargo (esparto is a tough fiber traditional to Spain).
The mule driver had the pariguelas loaded with tomatoes.
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EspañaGuagua
Public transportation that fits a lot of people, or in other words, the bus.
- When does the guagua for Bayaguana arrive? - I couldn't tell you.
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Badias
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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Juan Hubieres
A guy who acts like he owns the Dominican public transport system. He looks like Bin Laden but is much more of a street-smart hustler. (Juan Hubieres is a powerful transport union leader famous for organizing country-wide strikes.)
If I had known, I wouldn't have gone out today with this transport strike... :)
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concho
A shared public taxi in the Dominican Republic, usually a beat-up sedan. The driver crams two passengers in the front seat next to him and four in the back, meaning everyone is packed in like sardines.
If skinny or average-sized people get in, it is fine, but if three skinny people and one big guy get in the back of the concho, that is when things get really bad!
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El Metro
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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