Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – The city’s public transport authority, the Metropolitan Bus Services Operator (known locally as OMSA), is launching a transformative new 100% electric bus route specifically designed to upgrade transportation access and accelerate revitalization work in the capital’s iconic Colonial City district.
Dubbed the OMSA Colonial project, the new electric bus corridor will deploy five zero-emission vehicles, each engineered to carry up to 22 passengers at a time. These buses will traverse a 12.5-kilometer route that links the Colonial City’s most important central streets with two key outer destinations: the popular Plaza de la Cultura cultural complex and connecting stations of the existing Santo Domingo Metro.
To improve accessibility for all riders, the corridor will be equipped with 30 to 35 wheelchair-accessible stops positioned throughout and around the perimeter of the historic district, with built-in accommodations for people living with reduced mobility. In a nod to advancing gender equity in the transport sector, OMSA has confirmed that all drivers for this new route will be women, as part of the agency’s broader employment inclusion strategy.
Infrastructure preparations for the corridor are already well underway: modern, weather-protective bus shelters have been fully installed along high-traffic streets including Las Mercedes, Las Damas, Hostos, and Arzobispo Nouel, ahead of the route’s official opening.
OMSA officials highlight that the nearly silent, zero-emission design of the electric buses delivers two core benefits aligned with the district’s revitalization goals: it cuts local air pollution to protect the historic neighborhood’s atmospheric charm, while also making public transit a more appealing option for both visitors and local residents. This electric bus corridor is just one component of a years-long, comprehensive revitalization program for the Colonial City, which has already delivered upgrades including buried overhead electrical lines, repaved and widened pedestrian sidewalks, improved street lighting, and the full restoration of dozens of public green spaces and gathering spots across the district.