Per vehicle, not per person — and why that changes the maths
This is the single biggest source of confusion when people compare us against a booking site. Our number is what the car costs. Two people to Sosúa is $35. Six people to Sosúa is $35. A platform quoting $19 per person looks cheaper until a family of five reads the total.
The threshold where per-vehicle pricing wins is two passengers on most zones and one passenger on the long runs. Above four it is not a comparison any more.
Luggage is included in the same figure. We do not charge per bag, per surfboard bag, or for a stroller.
The van surcharge for 7 to 14 passengers
Seven or more people no longer fit an SUV or minivan with luggage, so the booking moves to a passenger van. On local zones that adds $20 to the Standard rate and $40 to VIP — so eight people to Sosúa is $55 Standard, and eight to Cabarete is $80.
For groups above fourteen we run multiple vehicles departing together, quoted as one number on WhatsApp. Tell us the head count and the bag count, because ten passengers with ten large cases and golf clubs is a different vehicle from ten with carry-ons.
Round trip: five percent off the return leg
Booking both directions at once takes 5% off the pair. Sosúa round trip is $67 instead of $70, Playa Dorada $55, Cabarete $114. The saving is modest and honest — we are not going to dress up a few dollars — but the operational value is real: your departure pickup is already scheduled on the right buffer for your zone, and you are not solving transport on your last morning.
You can also book the return later. There is no penalty for it, and there is no prepayment tying you to a date you might move.
What is included in the price
Taxes and tolls. Flight tracking against the number you send. Meet-and-greet inside arrivals with a name sign. Waiting time for a delayed aircraft, at no charge and with no re-quote. Child seats, fitted before pickup when you tell us the ages. Air conditioning and bottled water. Payment on arrival to the driver in cash or by card.
What is not included: gratuity, which is at your discretion and never expected, and any grocery or liquor stop you want on the way, which we are happy to make and which we quote as a small addition rather than pretending it is free.
Vehicle classes and what each one costs
Standard, one to six passengers, is an air-conditioned SUV or minivan with room for the usual four to six cases. That is the figure in the table: $30 Playa Dorada, $35 Costambar, $35 Sosúa, $40 Cofresí, $45 Maimón, $45 Cabarete, $110 Río San Juan, $125 Cabrera, $140 Punta Rucia, $225 Santo Domingo or SDQ, $210 Las Terrenas.
VIP, also one to six, is a luxury SUV or executive vehicle with cold water and a suited driver: $65 Playa Dorada, $70 Sosúa, $79 Cofresí, $85 Maimón, $85 Cabarete, $160 Río San Juan, $180 Cabrera, $195 Punta Rucia, $300 Santo Domingo, $280 Las Terrenas.
Seven to fourteen passengers moves to a passenger van on Standard or an executive Sprinter on VIP: plus $20 and plus $40 respectively on the local zones, with Punta Rucia and Las Terrenas quoted on WhatsApp because the road is longer. Above fourteen we run vehicles in convoy and quote the whole movement as one number.
There is no separate child-seat, luggage, night, holiday or gate fee on any class. What changes the price is the zone and the vehicle, nothing else.
What curb taxis add on top
The rank at POP arrivals prices by zone at the curb. From what guests report after comparing, the typical spread is 30 to 50 percent above these fixed rates, and the gap grows with distance: the difference on a Playa Dorada run is a few dollars, on Cabarete it can be forty.
There are two costs that do not show on the tariff board. A curb quote is made after you have landed, which is the worst moment to negotiate, and it does not include flight tracking — if you are three hours late, whatever you agreed by text with anyone does not follow you.
That is the short version. If the taxi rank itself is what you are trying to price — how the queue works, what the dispatcher quotes, why we do not reprint a tariff board — the POP taxi prices guide in the sidebar covers only that comparison, and this page stays the reference for what a private car costs. The prices page carries the same figures by zone and by hotel.
Prices for specific hotels
Hotel rates follow the zone. Casa Marina, Sosúa by the Sea and Piergiorgio Palace are Sosúa at $35. Iberostar Costa Dorada, Casa Colonial and Gran Ventana are Playa Dorada at $30. Viva Wyndham Tangerine and Natura Cabana are Cabarete at $45. Riu Bachata and Riu Mambo are Maimón at $45, not the Sosúa rate — it is a common and expensive assumption.
The table below links every zone to its page, and each zone page lists the hotels we cover inside it. If your property is not listed, it is still covered: send the name on WhatsApp and we quote the zone rate.
2026 rates by zone
| Zone | Drive time | Standard | VIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playa Dorada / Costa Dorada | 10–15 min | $30 | $65 |
| Puerto Plata city | 15–20 min | $30 | $65 |
| Costambar | 20–25 min | $35 | $70 |
| Cofresí | 25–30 min | $40 | $79 |
| Maimón / Amber Cove | 30–35 min | $45 | $85 |
| Sosúa | 15–20 min | $35 | $70 |
| Cabarete | 25–35 min | $45 | $85 |
| Río San Juan / Playa Grande | 60–75 min | $110 | $160 |
| Santiago (city or STI) | 60–75 min | $120 | $175 |
| Las Terrenas / Samaná | 2.5–3 h | $210 | $280 |
| Santo Domingo (city or SDQ) | 3.5–4 h | $225 | $300 |
One-way, per vehicle, taxes included. 7–14 passengers uses a van: Standard +$20 / VIP +$40 on local zones. Round trip takes 5% off the pair.
Price is per vehicle, one-way, taxes included. 7–14 pax uses a van: Standard +$20 / VIP +$40 on local zones; quoted in the form.
Send the flight, get the price in writing
Hotel name, flight number, date and party size. We reply with the fixed rate, track the flight and meet you inside arrivals with a name sign. Pay the driver on arrival.
Book on WhatsAppQuestions we get on this
- How much is a transfer from Puerto Plata airport to Sosúa?
- $35 Standard or $79 VIP, one-way, per vehicle for one to six passengers, taxes included. The drive is 20 to 30 minutes. Round trip is $67 Standard.
- How much is a transfer to Casa Marina Beach & Reef, Sosúa?
- Casa Marina sits in the Sosúa zone, so it is $35 Standard and $70 VIP one-way per vehicle, 20 to 30 minutes from POP.
- How much is a transfer to Riu Bachata or Riu Mambo, Maimón?
- Both sit on the Maimón belt, so it is $45 Standard and $85 VIP one-way — Maimón is farther than Sosúa, so it is not the $35 / $70 Sosúa rate.
- How much is a transfer to Playa Dorada?
- $30 Standard or $65 VIP one-way per vehicle, 10 to 15 minutes. That covers Iberostar Costa Dorada, Casa Colonial, Gran Ventana, Emotions by Hodelpa, Be Live Marien and the Playa Dorada golf villas.
- How much is a transfer to Viva Wyndham Tangerine, Cabarete?
- Viva Wyndham Tangerine is in Cabarete: $45 Standard, $85 VIP one-way per vehicle, 25 to 35 minutes from POP. It is not a Sosúa property despite how some listings describe it.
- Do I pay per person?
- No. Every rate is per vehicle for one to six passengers with luggage. Seven to fourteen moves to a van at plus $20 Standard or plus $40 VIP on local zones.