Pioneering motorcycle taxi driver in Foz do Iguaçu recalls 30 years of stories on two wheels

R$1 to go, another to return. This was the lure repeated over and over by Salustiano de Oliveira, known as “Tchiano”, in search of passengers to cross the Ponte Internacional da Amizade. A pioneering motorcycle taxi driver in Foz do Iguaçu, he began his career exactly 30 years ago, on the border between Brazil and Paraguay.

During his trip to Santa Catarina, he noticed something new: he noticed a bunch of motorcycles going from one place to another. That's how he knew they were workers taking passengers on two wheels from one neighborhood to another in Camboriú.

The idea of ​​developing the service he had just learned about in Foz do Iguaçu came to him automatically. That was in 1994. “Three friends and I started transporting passengers on the Ponte da Amizade, charging R$1 per trip, both there and back,” recalls “Tchiano.”

At 60 years old today, he has spent half his life working on his motorcycle. Born in Quedas do Iguaçu, in the West, he chose the city of Iguaçu to live and work almost four decades ago. When he decided to be one of the founders of the motorcycle taxi business on the border, it was the time of the Plano Real, when R$1 had its value.

During this period, the country was dominated by inflation, with a policy of artificially increasing the value of the national currency, which would soon take its toll. However, workers were able to escape inflation, which made products cost up to 300% more from one day to the next, in addition to the lack of food on the shelves.

In 1994, Brazil also suffered the loss of notable figures, such as Ayrton Senna, who died in an accident at the Imola Grand Prix, conductor Antônio Carlos Jobim and comedian Mussum. In addition, young people around the world mourned the premature death of Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana and one of the greatest icons of grunge.

That year, Brazilians were also able to shout at the top of their lungs: “It’s four, it’s four, it’s four!” The Brazilian team won the World Cup, hosted in the United States.

“There were four of us”

At the beginning of the races, not unlike today, the motorcycle passengers were tourists, smugglers and Brazilians who worked in Paraguayan commerce and services. “The difference today is that the number of people who crossed the bridge every day was immense,” recalls “Tchiano”.

“Each motorcycle taxi driver would make more than 50 trips in a day. We realized that we needed a place to organize ourselves and opened our first location, in front of the old Hotel Luana, in Vila Portes, where today there is a parking lot,” he says. Soon, they decided to change address.

They experimented for six months, going back and forth along the road between Foz do Iguaçu and Ciudad del Este, until the four motorcycle taxi drivers decided to expand their service to the neighborhoods. “We went to the bus station area, next to Pousada Sarandi. There, we had over 500 workers, because at that time there were already other motorcycle taxi stands, and the activity was expanding,” he recalls. Among the stands, “Tchiano” mentions, were Cataratas, Iguaçu and Floresta.

Journey of danger

Although the country has long-standing occupational safety laws, there was no legislation governing the motorcycle taxi profession. Frantically busy, the Friendship Bridge was a “lawless place,” where cars, motorcycles, and trucks fought for space in search of a way across, even with the large number of “frontmen” who risked their lives on foot in the traffic.

“There was no safety, there were no side protection bars. The only requirement was a helmet, and many of us didn’t wear one. Sometimes, only the passenger wore one,” reveals the veteran motorcycle taxi driver. “I never had an accident, but they happened every day and close to us,” he says. When talking about safety, he gets emotional when remembering his motorcycle taxi friend who was decapitated because he didn’t see the blocking chain on the Friendship Bridge in 2022.

“On the one hand, the legislation has brought more safety to workers, with the requirement to wear a vest and helmet. On the other hand, the fees we have to pay have always been high for us,” he criticizes. “Many people have done the paperwork and legalized their activities, but ended up abandoning them because they could not handle the demands of the public agencies, which have always charged a lot and offered little or nothing to the workers,” thinks “Tchiano”.

New Times

With the emergence of apps in recent years, many people have stopped being motorcycle taxi drivers to dedicate themselves to deliveries, because they do not pay taxes, only the fee deducted from the technology owner. However, to ensure their livelihood, there are many workers who need to transport passengers on the Friendship Bridge during the day and make deliveries via app at night.

“Although many motorcycle taxi drivers still do this today, I have never met anyone who got rich,” he says. “Like most workers in the country, they only earn enough to survive and pay their social security contributions independently, to try to secure a future retirement,” says Salustiano de Oliveira.

30 years ago and still today

After so much time in the profession, “Tchiano” still works daily at the Friendship Bridge, although he does fewer runs these days. “Before, I went to survive. Now I go for fun, to see my friends, to not be idle and to feel the sensation of crossing the bridge,” he says, alluding to the adrenaline that the activity produces.

For the professional, society as a whole is unable to measure and understand the importance of motorcycle taxi drivers for the city, especially in terms of jobs and income, given a situation in which the government is unable to fully respond to this demand. “We contribute to easing traffic congestion in Foz do Iguaçu,” concludes “Tchiano”.

Motorcycle taxi drivers in Foz do Iguaçu

The Transport and Traffic Institute (Foztrans) states that municipal legislation regarding motorcycle taxi activities came into force in 2013, with Law No. 4116. According to the agency, despite this, since 2003, the administration has been recording the number of professionals in Foz do Iguaçu, which counts:

YEAR MOTORCYCLE TAXI DRIVERS

2003 560

2004 600

2005 600

2006 600

2007 600

2008 600

2009 600

2010 640

2011 640

2012 665

2013 665

2014 590

2015 550

2016 501

2017 479

2018 454

2019 433

2020 410

2021 294

2022 282

2023 261

2024 233

*Numbers measured by the municipality, not necessarily reporting all motorcycle taxi drivers in the municipality.