Transport in El Salvador

Transport in El Salvador is mainly road-based. The system includes collective passenger transport, private cars and motorcycles, cycling, walking, interurban and international buses, air travel and developing maritime connections. Public transport is widely used: official 2022 figures indicated that about 70% of the population used collective transport, and more than 6,000 vehicles were inspected in that period. The Ministry of Public Works and Transport, known as MOPT, sets the national transport framework. Its Vice Ministry of Transport, VMT, including the Directorate General of Land Transport and the Directorate General of Traffic, authorizes service lines, frequencies, terminals, permits, concessions and fares. Bus and microbus fares are quoted in US dollars and vary by service line or vehicle. There is no single nationwide transport pass. Providers should display the authorized fare and operate with a valid line permit, vehicle registration card, authorized drivers and an approved operating plan. They also have duties concerning continuity, safety, comfort and dignified treatment. Passengers may challenge an unauthorized fare increase through the VMT, which works with the traffic division of the National Civil Police, PNC-Tránsito. A temporary fare stabilization or subsidy measure was last found extended through August 31, 2025; its status after that date requires separate verification. SITRAMSS was a historical bus rapid transit corridor in the San Salvador metropolitan area. Authorities sanctioned it in 2020 for non-operation, and reliable primary-source confirmation of regular current service in 2026 is not available. A bus modernization contract, C-06/2024, exists, but the consulted sources do not conclusively establish its implementation status. El Salvador has no reliably documented current scheduled passenger railway service. The autonomous port authority CEPA is responsible for railways. The Tren del Pacífico remains a feasibility and development project concerning a planned San Salvador–Acajutla connection, with La Hachadura considered as an additional option for freight and passenger transport. It has no confirmed current timetable or passenger fare. Buses, private vehicles and air travel therefore remain the established alternatives for longer journeys. The international airport managed by CEPA has a planning capacity of approximately 4.1 million passengers. A proposed ferry connection between Puerto de La Unión and Puerto Caldera was initially designed for two weekly sailings and capacity for 100 trailers or trucks; passenger service was planned for a later stage, and regular current passenger operation is not reliably documented. Private vehicles are individually accessible but require licensing, registration and compliance checks. The VMT and traffic authorities handle the driving licence, the Public Vehicle Registry, registration or circulation cards, and technical or emissions inspections through established procedures. A first driving licence application includes a psychological fitness assessment and a theoretical examination; SERTRACEN handles issuance, renewal and related queries. Drivers must carry the required documents, follow signs and traffic rules, and avoid driving after consuming alcohol or drugs. A 2024 reform updated fine categories and amounts, and authorities may issue penalties in written or electronic form. Cycling infrastructure remains fragmented and concentrated in urban areas. Local terms include ciclovía and movilidad no motorizada. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador documented 9.88 kilometres of cycling facilities in 2017 and projected 59 kilometres in 2020, with additional circuits mentioned through 2022, but no coherent national network is established by the available evidence. Cycling generally has no state usage fee, while safety and infrastructure coverage depend strongly on the municipality and corridor. Walking is legally recognized through rules for peatones, or pedestrians, but practical access depends on sidewalks, crossings, lighting and traffic density. MOPT has identified missing sidewalks and dangerous crossings as national problems. An official safety estimate attributed approximately three out of ten traffic deaths to pedestrians, although historical safety figures should not be treated as a current 2026 rate. The main legal framework is Decreto Legislativo 477, the Ley de Transporte Terrestre, Tránsito y Seguridad Vial, together with the Reglamento General de Tránsito and reforms under Decreto 185/2024. Authorities use traffic stops, written notices, anti-doping checks and video or traffic-light monitoring. Since the 2024 changes, driving with any alcohol concentration is prohibited; a positive toxicological test can lead to administrative or criminal proceedings. Children under five require a restraint seat, and children under twelve may not sit in the front seat. Transport also affects air quality and emissions. Historical MARN inventories attributed 43.90% of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel combustion to transport in the 2005 and 2013 inventory basis. A 2009 inventory covered pollutants including nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, ammonia, PM10 and PM2.5. These are historical inventories rather than current national measurements. Bus renewal, improved mass-transit concepts, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, and emissions inspections are the documented ways to reduce transport impacts, while current nationwide modal and emissions data remain limited.