WASHINGTON — It feels like a more frequent site in D.C. these days— mopeds zipping in-and-out of traffic. Most of the time you see them delivering food orders across the District.
WUSA9 wanted to find out what is driving the apparent moped boom in D.C. We found a group of drivers huddled outside a McDonalds on Wisconsin Avenue in Tenleytown and decided to stop.
As they waited for their next deliveries, we talked to them with the help of a Spanish-speaking translator. The first one we met was a man named Christian. He told us he came to D.C. a month ago after taking the long trek from Venezuela.
“If you don’t have a (work permit) you cannot simply work,” he said through a translator. “Working as a delivery guy is a good option because it gives you money to pay for things, even if you make less money.”
As we talked to Christian, other drivers, like Hector, showed up for their morning runs. Hector is also from Venezuela, and said he has been here for two years and worked mostly as a delivery driver.
“On a good day, we make from 20 to 25 deliveries,” he said.
The men and women we spoke to at the McDonalds all had similar stories. They escaped conflict-ridden Venezuela for a new start.
“Arriving here was tough, we crossed six or seven countries,” Hector said. “We risk everything. We come looking to change our lives, and we even risk our lives for that change.”
They all pointed out, the moped is an affordable option to start delivery runs. It only costs around $2,000, it doesn’t require a special license, and is fuel-efficient.
It’s hard to say exactly how many of the moped drivers in D.C. are migrants. But Hector and Christian both said when you see the delivery drivers planted near restaurants in D.C., most are recent migrants trying to work.
So are moped delivery men and women behind the D.C. moped boom? WUSA9 reached out to the three major food delivery platforms — UberEats, GrubHub, and DoorDash — but they’ve not responded yet.
However, the D.C. DMV says they’ve had an increase in moped registrations, from 54 in 2022 to 143 in 2023 to 85 so far this year. The DMV added that they expect moped drivers to be licensed, registered and insured, as well as following traffic laws.
While social media posts seem to see the mopeds as nuisances, sometimes skirting traffic laws, the DMV said there is no evidence of an increase in crashes as a result of the moped boom.
Hector and Christian believe the rise in mopeds comes from people like them, because of this side delivery economy it provides for recent migrants.
“I came because I want to provide for my wife and daughter who are still in Venezuela,” Christian said. “I want to give them a different life. Being here in D.C. I can do so.”
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