He motoconcho It is a transport service that started informally, but over the years a need has arisen that motivated the official authorities to regulate it. Now they are established by routes, organized in unions or through digital platforms such as uber motorcycle.
As it is a fast and cheap means of transport, although not as safe, it is in great demand as a way to avoid traffic jams, in addition to offering access to areas where four-wheeled vehicles cannot enter, especially in deprived sectors, where alleys abound more than the streets and avenues.
The president of the National Federation of Motoconchistas (Fenamoto), Oscar Almánzar, defines the work of the motoconchistas and clarifies that this organization has been going on for more than two decades. It arises because they saw the need, the growth and the future that the trade had. “We realized the importance of the motoconcho as a means of transportation, because where a car does not enter, an engine can pass,” he points out.
The union leader explained that the National District, Santo Domingo, Santiagooy San Juan They are part of the 27 provinces where the stops are formalized, there are approximately 2,500, with more than 44,000 registered motoconchistas.
Each stop is formalized with the number of members that can replace it. “If a stop has 20 members, only 20 will be able to work there. motoconchistashe declared. After doing the survey and organizing the stop, no more people can be added, although a route owner can rent or sell his position. The unions or the stops must pay RD$1,000 monthly to the Federation, which indicates that 2,500 stops imply a monthly income of RD$250,000 for that organization.
In 2022, the General Directorate of Internal Taxes (DGII) registered 5,463,996 vehicle units, 311,548 more than in 2021. Of that amount, 3,063,704 are motorcycles, that is, 56% of the total. 19.9% are automobiles, 11.4% “jeeps” and 12.7% correspond to buses, cargo vehicles and others.
21% of motorcycles are registered in the National District, followed by 17.7% in Santo Domingo province and 8.7% in Santiago de los Caballeros. But not all registered motorcycles are in circulation. In fact, at present, the basis of the National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (Intrant) has 900,000 drivers in the National Motorcycle Registry, according to the institution’s Director of Communications, Dary Terrero.
Stop
“Are you going?”, a motoconchista asks a woman who was passing by on the sidewalk on Avenida Winston Churchill at the corner of Francisco Prats Ramírez, which is where the “La Unión” stop is located. The president of that stop, Wilson Medina, told elDinero that it started in 2018 when they were driven by the digital platform Uber. He says that seeing the high demand of the passengers who transited this area, they began to organize with Fenamoto and the Intrant to formalize the route.
Consulted motorcyclists agree that the day that is economically better for them can generate RD$1,800 and their hours are from 6:00 in the morning to 8:00 at night. This equates to around RD$46,000 per month, assuming they take one day a week off. However, the day that they earn the least income is RD$800, which means a little more than RD$21,000 per month, with which the average income could range between RD$33,000 and 35,000 each month. From this income they allocate between RD$200 to RD$400 a day for fuel, in addition to the union fee.
On Fridays of each week, whoever is on the route as “rented” must pay a fee of RD$1,300 to the owner. La Unión, which is located on Churchill Avenue and Francisco Prats Ramírez corner, has 55 motorists, who identify themselves with vests to show their clients that they are regulated.
challenges
One of the main problems they face occurs when government authorities implement operations and stop them. “We know that the majority of assaults in the country are carried out on motors, but not all are motoconchistas. They always look for the easiest prey, who are the ones who work or go out to provide service”, affirms Almánzar.
Jhonny Astrel is one of those who offers his services in The Union. It indicates that one of the challenges that the motoconchistas have is that of crime. He explains that he was the victim of this situation in which he was deprived of his work tool and had to borrow RD$15,000 from some friends to be able to buy another engine and thus support his four children.
Market
Technology is advancing every day, which is why many businesses have been forced to adapt to the world that is in such high demand.
Despite the competition they have with the various digital platforms, they use strategies so that their clients prefer their services. One of the tactics they use is to charge less and gain the trust of their passengers, which makes them feel close to the motoconchista.
On Friday, May 19 at 5:00 p.m., a time of high traffic, reporters from the money carried out a comparative exercise of prices of motoconchistas in stops and the Uber Moto service.
From Francisco Prats Ramírez street to Ángel Severo Cabral street, along Churchill avenue, the motoconcho charges RD$50 and in the application you must pay RD$77.7, for a difference of RD$27.7.
Another example is the route that goes from Francisco Prats Ramírez corner Churchill to the Ulises Francisco Espaillat Metro station on the corner with John F. Kennedy, which costs RD$70 and on the digital platform the price is RD$159.01. The amounts of these platforms or applications usually vary depending on various factors such as the schedule, high demand, distance or weather conditions (if it is raining).
The president of Phenamoto, about the competition, states that they are developing a project to create an application and integrate into this digital market. This new plan would be available to the public between June and August of this year, but approval is still awaited.