Dominican Republic transport crisis and political fallout

Juan Hubieres, president of the National Transport Federation (Fenatrano), continues to raise concerns regarding the Dominican Republic’s traffic and road mobility crisis, attributing congestion to a lack of political will, corruption, and the political costs of law enforcement. Hubieres previously identified the rapid growth of the national vehicle fleet—increasing by approximately 60,000 vehicles annually—and the dominance of private vehicles on major routes as primary drivers of chaos. He has recently suggested that mass transit projects, such as the Independencia Corridor, could serve as a model for addressing urban mobility challenges.

Expanding on these systemic issues, William Pérez Figuereo, president of the CNTU, has proposed a public-private alliance to modernize collective transport. He emphasized that new infrastructure, such as the Metro or monorails, should integrate with rather than displace traditional operators.

The mobility crisis has also become a point of political contention. Former president Leonel Fernández, leader of the Fuerza del Pueblo party, stated that his party is positioning itself as an alternative to the current administration due to widespread social frustration. Fernández linked this dissatisfaction to deteriorating public services, specifically noting that frequent power outages and technical losses in the electrical sector affect essential services like the Santo Domingo Metro.

In a recent interview in New York, Fernández provided specific data regarding the electrical sector, claiming that technical and commercial losses have risen from approximately 27% to 28% in 2020 to roughly 49% under current authorities. He argued this inefficiency has increased electricity subsidies to nearly $2 billion and resulted in blackouts lasting up to 15 hours.