The Dominican Republic's National Student Transport System is moving between 215,000 and 245,000 students each day as the new school year opens across the Caribbean nation.
Director Luis Felipe Cartagena presented the operational figures on Monday during the inaugural broadcast of LA Agenda Semanal, a new government management monitoring program led by President Luis Abinader at the National Palace in Santo Domingo.
The launch coincided with the start of the 2026-2027 academic period, for which the Ministry of Education has projected a total public enrollment of 2,686,971 students.
Public education in the Dominican Republic is managed at the cabinet level by the Ministry of Education, which oversees primary and secondary institutions across the country's public sector.
Route coverage and provincial reach
Cartagena explained that the network currently operates 837 routes serving 6,370 educational centers. That covers the vast majority of the nearly 8,000 public sector schools operating nationwide.
The service provides complete geographical coverage across all 31 provinces of the Dominican Republic, as well as the National District surrounding the capital city.
The Dominican Republic is divided administratively into 31 provinces alongside the National District of Santo Domingo, which serves as the political and administrative hub of the nation on the island of Hispaniola.
Family savings and total student trips
Since the launch of the initiative, the student transport network has completed 72,638,192 individual student transfers, according to data released by the director.
Cartagena said those journeys have saved Dominican families an estimated total of 21,732 million Dominican pesos in transportation costs since the program began.
The director noted that every student riding the buses is individually recorded by onboard bus assistants and tracked through operational logs to verify passenger volume.
Electric buses and accessibility features
The current fleet consists of 1,871 buses operating across the national network, of which 300 units are fully electric vehicles.
Cartagena specified that 50 of the electric buses have been specially adapted to transport students with disabilities as part of the program's inclusion policy.
Electric buses rely on battery power systems to run without tailpipe emissions, while specialized accessible vehicles incorporate ramps or lifts to accommodate passengers using wheelchairs or mobility aids.
Student security and private school transfers
The TRAE director highlighted that the school transport initiative aims to offer enhanced physical security for students while providing peace of mind to parents who must travel to work during morning commute hours.
Students board the buses at designated geolocated stops established along each route to begin their trips to school.
Cartagena also linked the growth of the transport network to a rising number of families shifting their children from private schools into the public school system.
He explained that parents choosing state schools receive additional state support alongside free bus transportation, including provided meals, school uniforms, and educational supplies.
Real-time monitoring and driver artificial intelligence
The transport system operates a central monitoring facility that supervises all active buses in real time during service hours.
Cartagena explained that vehicles are equipped with multiple interior and exterior cameras to view different angles, with feeds transmitted directly to the control center.
The monitoring network incorporates artificial intelligence software designed to analyze driver behavior and identify potential safety concerns on the road.
Vehicles in the fleet are also fitted with onboard internet connectivity, allowing students to work on homework assignments while traveling.
During Monday's presentation, officials conducted a live demonstration showing how staff monitor vehicle operations in real time, though the live broadcast experienced a temporary transmission interruption during the display.
Presidential remarks on transport risks
Speaking during the presentation, President Luis Abinader emphasized the safety benefits of the state-run bus network for families across the country.
Abinader noted that organized school transportation reduces the need for parents to carry children on motorcycles or other vehicles that expose young passengers to higher road risks.
President Abinader took office in 2020, leading government initiatives aimed at expanding public infrastructure, social service coverage, and road safety protocols across the Caribbean nation.
