- After losing his ability to walk in a traffic accident, Martin Londoño converted his wheelchair into a motorbike that can reach speeds of 30 kilometers per hour.
- He has built 10 wheelchair-motorcycles he plans to lease out to mobility-impaired people in Medellin,
Colombia , as part of his delivery company. - Martin's bikes cost $1,500, which is more affordable than most motorized
wheelchairs . - The company relies on electric batteries to limit their carbon footprint.
Martin Londoño lost his ability to walk when he was 18 after he was injured in a traffic accident.
Now, the Colombian owns and operates a delivery service that runs on electric wheelchairs — wheelchairs that look a bit like a motorcycle.
"I built this wheelchair for my own personal needs, to get around," Londoño, speaking in Spanish, told
Working out of his parents' lingerie store in Medellin, Colombia, Londoño has set up a delivery company called MATT, which stands for Mobility, Accessibility, Time, and Work, or Trabajo in Spanish. It's aimed at generating jobs for people with disabilities.
Londoño's motorized wheelchair can reach speeds of 30 kilometers per hour. It's similar to electric handcycles produced by European companies for people using wheelchairs, and it relies on lithium batteries, a front wheel with a steering handle, and engines that are typically used on electric bicycles.
The motorized vehicle costs $1,500, which is cheaper than most electric wheelchairs. Londoño says his company will provide the vehicles to those who will work with them for a year and charge them by taking a cut of their weekly earnings.
"They can use it for a while, pay it off, and take it home. If they don't want to work and just want to get around in it, they can," Londoño said. "They can be really productive people, and this gives them the freedom to do it."
So far, Martin has recruited two such staffers, who make delivery runs for local businesses who have converted to online sales because of the pandemic.
"I can go out with my nephews and share an ice cream and get around easily," one delivery driver, Wilson Guzman, said. "I can go get a soda in the street and get around so easily. I can take my dog out for a walk or take him to the park. And I can just get around normally like a person who walks."
To differentiate itself from large food delivery apps, MATT is working with businesses that need to deliver goods around the city with less of a rush. His clients include a jewelry store and a vegan restaurant that sells ingredients for customers to cook at home.
"We are trying to help the environment, and we like MATT's delivery service because it moves around with electricity," Elizabeth Garzon financial director for the restaurant Justo, said. "Just like they don't use gasoline, we recycle containers and don't use plastic."
MATT is hoping to get 10 more electric wheelchairs out into the streets in the following months. After the company increases its operations, Londono wants to find investors who could help to scale things up.
"Our mission is to reach as many people with disabilities as possible, so that they can benefit from the product we have developed," he said. "So we want to bring down costs as low as we can until the majority of people can access, and change, the city."