The digital platform launched by the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications for the $100,000 subsidy for transport workers is experiencing intermittent outages, complicating the registration process. The system, designed to mitigate the impact of rising fuel costs caused by changes in the Mepco (fuel pricing mechanism), has failed to function normally during its first few days of implementation.
The government itself has acknowledged technical issues on the website. “The application platform is operational, but experiencing intermittent issues. We are working to resolve these problems,” the ministry’s official page stated.
Tension within transport unions
Leaders of transport organizations are reporting a lack of certainty regarding the process. Eduardo Castillo, president of the Confederation of Collective Taxis and Minor Transport of Chile (Conttramen), stated that the rate of successful applications is only around 50% due to the glitches.
“We have detected that the platform is still experiencing intermittent issues, with no certainty as to when they will be resolved, which is directly impacting the sector,” Castillo noted. He added that there is currently no expedited channel to assist users facing system errors.
Meanwhile, Héctor Sandoval, president of the National Confederation of Collective Taxis of Chile (Conatacoch), questioned the figure of 117,000 applications reported by authorities. According to Sandoval, that number represents entries into the system rather than completed applications.
“In practice, the actual number is considerably lower, very close to zero,” asserted Sandoval, who intends to meet with Minister Louis de Grange to request an extension of the application deadline.
The Ministry of Transport maintained that, despite initial intermittent issues caused by high application volumes, the system has already recorded 55,000 registrations currently undergoing validation. Authorities also specified that the publication of a new decree in the Official Gazette will allow approximately 50,000 people to receive automatic payments next week.
However, the Taxi Trade Association of Chile reported that the website has suffered total crashes, delaying the process for drivers. Some users also reported technical difficulties related to using the Clave Única (digital ID) to access the portal.