These are banged-up cars, minivans or small pickup trucks that pick up passengers along set routes, usually main boulevards. Públicos (also called conchos or carros) don’t have signs but the drivers hold their hands out the window to solicit potential fares. They are also identifiable by the crush of people inside them – up to seven in a midsize car! To flag one down simply hold out your hand – the fare is around RD$12. If there is no one else in the car, be sure to tell the driver you want servicio público(public service) to avoid paying private taxi rates. Large cities like Santo Domingo and Santiago have public bus systems that operate as they do in most places around the world. Many of the larger city buses are imported from Brazil, and are the kind which you board in the back and pay the person sitting beside the turnstile. Other city buses are more or less like guaguas, where you board quickly and pay the cobrador when he comes around. In general, you will probably take relatively few city buses, simply because públicos follow pretty much the same routes and pass more frequently. Dominican taxis rarely cruise for passengers – instead they wait at designated sitios (stops), which are located at hotels, bus terminals, tourist areas and main public parks. You can also phone a taxi service (or ask your hotel receptionist to call for you). Taxis do not have meters – agree on a price beforehand.