Haiti’s motorbike taxi drivers — known as moto-chauffeurs or zenglendos — occupy a unique position in Port-au-Prince’s social fabric. They navigate the capital’s chaotic streets every day, carrying passengers through traffic, over broken roads, and past protest barricades, making them arguably the most informed observers of the city’s daily reality. In 2019, they had plenty to say.
In interviews conducted at motorcycle taxi stands across the capital, drivers described a city under enormous strain. Business was unpredictable — good on calm days, impossible during protests and lockdowns. Many drivers had taken out loans to buy their motorcycles and were struggling to make payments. The combination of fuel shortages, rising prices, and disrupted demand had squeezed their margins to almost nothing.
Politically, the drivers were divided, reflecting Haiti’s broader social complexity. Some were enthusiastic supporters of the protest movement, arguing that nothing would change without sustained pressure on the government. Others were exhausted by the disruption and wanted stability above all else. Many expressed distrust of all political actors, convinced that the elite on both sides cared more about power than about ordinary people.
What united them was the conviction that something fundamental needed to change in Haiti — that the system of corruption and patronage that had robbed the country of its potential for generations could not continue. On that point, there was no disagreement.