Bus system in the Dominican Republic

Hello all, I am planning my first get-acquainted trip and ideally I would like to visit a few different places and travel between them by bus. I am trying to figure out whether this is realistic.

I keep reading that the bus network is extensive, and I'm a budget traveler happy to ride in guaguas etc., but as a complete newbie to the DR I'd hate to have lodging reserved and then find I couldn't get to it on time. The more upscale bus lines have websites, but the only one that looks like it might go where I want to go, Caribe Tours, seems to have a glitchy website (the "horarios de salida" and "reservar viaje" dropdown menus don't work).

So my questions are ...

(1)

Does anybody know where I could get a route map, or schedules, for Caribe Tours? (I have emailed them, and haven't heard back yet, but who knows I still might.) or for any other major bus lines?

(2)

Does anyone have an opinion on whether it would be practical to get around by bus between the following locations?

Santo Domingo > Bayahibe > Sabana de la Mar > [ferry] > Samaná city > Santo Domingo?

By practical I guess I mean, could I count on leaving and arriving in daylight. It's fine if the trip is long; I like getting to know a place by bus. This itinerary is not graven in stone but it would be my first choice.

I think if I was living there I could sort out the bus system at my own pace, but to "hit the ground running" for a short trip might be difficult. I had read so many comments about the great if not always luxurious public transit network, but now that it's down to brass tacks I realize there wasn't a lot of detail in any of those resources. Any practical insight would be welcome!

Many thanks.