Caribe Tours vs Metro vs Expreso Bavaro: which bus is which

Caribe Tours: the network that reaches most of the country

Caribe Tours has the widest coverage. From its Santo Domingo terminal on Av. 27 de Febrero at Leopoldo Navarro. It sells at the terminal counter, card not guaranteed, so carry pesos. Online sales are limited and the web timetables are not always up to date. They ask you to arrive about 45 minutes early. Fares went up in May 2026, so treat every price as an estimate. We confirm the fare with you before booking, once the seat has been checked with the carrier.

Metro: first class on the Cibao corridor

Metro Servicios Turisticos runs first class coaches between Santo Domingo, Santiago and the north coast. It is the choice many business travellers make between the two big cities, because the coach tends to be newer and the ride quieter. There is no online booking of its own, and it sells at the counter with card not guaranteed: carry pesos. They recommend showing up about 45 minutes before departure. What Metro does not cover is the east: no Punta Cana, no La Romana, no Samana peninsula. If your plan is Santo Domingo to Santiago or Puerto Plata, it is worth comparing Metro and Caribe Tours on the day, because the real difference is the coach and the departure time that suits you, not the road, which is the same.

Expreso Bavaro: the only direct line out of Punta Cana

Expreso Bavaro, also known as Expreso Punta Cana, is the only scheduled coach linking the Punta Cana area with the capital. It leaves from the Cruce de Friusa stop in Bavaro and arrives at the terminal on Calle Juan Sanchez Ramirez in Gazcue, near Av. Maximo Gomez. The trip is about 200 km and a little over 3 hours. There is no online sale and no card payment. They require you to be there 1 hour before departure. There are about 6 departures a day, roughly every 2 hours from early morning, but exact times change, so check the timetable for your travel day before you set off.

Which operator covers which route

Keep it simple. Punta Cana to Santo Domingo is Expreso Bavaro. Santo Domingo to Santiago, Puerto Plata, Samana or La Romana is Caribe Tours, with Metro as the alternative for Santiago and the north coast. Santo Domingo to Las Terrenas is none of the three: it is run by Asotrapusa, the Samana transport association, from a street stop behind Plaza Lama. From Punta Cana to Las Terrenas or Puerto Plata there is no direct coach: you combine Expreso Bavaro to the capital and then Asotrapusa or Caribe Tours. Depending on the leg.

How we pick the bus and how we book it

Our rule is simple: the route first, then a departure that gets you there in daylight, and the operator last. We are an independent intermediary with no commercial agreement with Caribe Tours, Metro or Expreso Bavaro, so we tell you which one fits even when it is not the famous name. If you would rather not deal with the ticket counter, we offer assisted booking from 24.95 USD per person: you request it 3 or more days ahead, you pay nothing when you ask, and we reply on WhatsApp or email with the travel plan, the exact stop and how much cash to carry. You still pay the ticket to the operator, in pesos, and the transport contract is between you and the company.