Country’s “owners” would strike unless given subway’s bus routes

Santo Domingo. –Just one week after the government cut the ribbon on Santo Domingo’s second subway (Metro2) line, the heads of the biggest bus owners associations o Monday threatened to halt transport unless they are assigned the bus feeder routes by the authorities.

Subway line 2 runs from the Sanchez bridge in the east to the 9 kilometer marker on the Duarte highway in the west, providing commuters and students cheap access to the National District, from the densely populated Santo Domingo East.

Since its opening the second Metro line has revolutionized the commute in in greater Santo Domingo, so much so that Santo Domingo East residents are crossing Sanchez bridge on foot to the last station.

But the major bus owners associations, known as the country’s “owners” for their often violent and unpunished violent strikes, said they would halt transport unless they are assigned the subway’s bus routes

Antonio Marte, of CONATRA, as Juan Hubieres of FENATRANO said they will have no choice but to call strikes on transport, complaining that the subway has displaced more than 5,000 bus drivers.