Wildman, who owns Malibu Yogurt at 825 E. University Blvd, uses his Main Street Pedicabs manufactured Billboard Bike to get to and from his store.

“Because it is my bike and because I ride it, I can park it just like any other car,” Wildman said.

Tucson regulates business signage, but the Billboard Bike doesn’t fall under those regulations.

Wildman says it is no different than people who stick advertising on their cars and drive around the city or the billboard trucks that drive around the city.

But, according to Dan Werner, director of sales and marketing at Mainstreet Pedicabs, it has one big advantage; no pollution.

“When you compare it to big trucks spewing out fumes, there is no comparison,” Werner said.

Many people don’t want their businesses associated with a loud and smelly truck and the Billboard Bike offers a carbon free way to advertise that, “really turns heads,” Werner said.

The bike, which sells for about $3,400, includes everything you need to get started except for the batteries to light up the sign at night.
According to Werner, the company hasn’t sold more than a few dozen of the Billboard bikes, but like the pedicab, when someone sees one, they want to know more about it.

Pedicabs have been advertising on the back and sides of their bikes from the beginning, but because Billboard Bikes don’t require liability insurance like pedicabs, more people are looking into the them, Werner said.

“Pedal power is a very cool thing,” Werner said. “Not only is it something you can use to build a business and earn money, but it is doing it the right way.”

Wildman said he has gotten a lot of positive feedback from people who have seen him out riding his Billboard Bike.

FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

Visiting San Francisco once, Michael Rosemond took a ride in a pedicab along that city’s famed waterfront. The pedicab — a small carriage attached to a bicycle operated by a driver — made him an instant fan.

“I talked to one of the owners. He said, ‘Man, you’ve got to start these up in Detroit. People love them,’ ” Rosemond said last week.

That bit of advice led to Rickshaw Detroit, part of a small but growing pedicab trade in and around downtown Detroit. Rosemond operates Rickshaw Detroit with his business partner, Terry Walker, and they say that the growing number of clubs, restaurants, and special events downtown and up through the Midtown district prove ideal for the pedicab trade.

The business requires a lot of pedaling each partner rides perhaps 20 miles a day on summer weekends at the height of their season. But business has been brisk enough that Rickshaw Detroit no longer charges fares but gets by on tips.

“You can actually get more when you just ask for tips,” Walker said. “People love them so much.”

Rosemond added, “Once they get in, they don’t want to get out.”

The partners operate a lot along Detroit’s RiverWalk, carrying passengers along the waterfront promenade or to downtown restaurants. They also hire out to special events like weddings or the annual open house sponsored by Crain’s Detroit Business.

Both men live in Detroit and have other jobs. Walker, 50, is a safety officer with the Detroit Public Schools and a master sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve. He has served two combat tours in Iraq. Rosemond, 59, is a receptionist at the Detroit Institute of Art.

The partners met at a Detroit City Council meeting where both were lobbying for approval of a pedicab business. “We said, ‘Why don’t we get together? Two heads are better than one,’ ” Rosemond said.

The up-front investment remains modest. Each of the pedicabs, purchased from a Denver manufacturer, costs from $3,200 to $4,200, depending if you buy frills like a canopy. Then there’s insurance and a variety of other out-of-pocket expenses. Operators must obtain a rickshaw license from the City of Detroit.

The partners own three of the pedicabs, operating two themselves while they look for a third driver.

“It’s one of those businesses that you can start right out of the box,” Walker said. “You have the potential to recoup your investment really fast.”

Pedicabs offer the potential for advertising tie-ins and various partnerships. Walker said he also has benefitted from entrepreneurial training offered by TechTown, the business incubator operating on Wayne State University’s campus.

Some men of a certain age ditch the sedan for a little red convertible. Others run a tab on the golf cart.

Ed Peele, an already super-fit 54-year-old Southern Pines resident, decided to pedal his way into a new career as the Ride Peddler. His vehicle — a shiny green pedicab.

Green’s the right color for this tin lizzie — no gas, no emissions, breeze-cooled, aerobically powered, made-in-the U.S.A. Pedicabs ferried guests to the premiere of Al Gore’s pro-earth film “An Inconvenient Truth.” Green is also the color associated with Pinehurst and Southern Pines

“Everybody just smiles and waves when we go by,” Peele says.

Perhaps because rides are free.“I work for tips,” hopefully the greenback kind, says the recently retired restoration/renovation contractor.

Compensation for the unflappable Peele averages $5 for a swing around the Broad Street loop, although some passengers pull out a buck or just say thanks.

“That’s OK, too,” Peele grins.

Downtown Southern Pines and Pinehurst Village couldn’t be better locations, with gentle terrain, a friendly year-round climate and enough landmarks for a well-researched 60-minute historic tour. Which isn’t free.

Peele turns a profit with advertising placards — Elliott’s on Linden during September — and gigs billed by the hour or event: date nights (a rose or chocolates included), children’s parties, corporate affairs, anniversaries and, of course, weddings.

Delouis Wilson has already hired Peele for her May nuptials in Pittsboro.

“It’s such a cool thing,” says the bride-to-be, who has ridden pedicabs in Raleigh, where Raleigh Rickshaw operates a fleet of 16. “It sets the tone — lets people know that this is something special, and they’re going to have fun.”

The Ride Peddler will ferry guests from a parking area to the ceremony. Wilson hopes the driver will wear black shorts and a white shirt. Top hat is optional. She expects the decorated pedicab to figure prominently in wedding photos.

A horse-drawn buggy might be more picturesque, but pedicabs don’t require a shovel-up.

“There’s a breeze, it’s a lot quieter, and there’s no smell of manure,” says Eli Cox of Southern Pines, taking a spin with wife, Jaime, on a cool early-autumn morning.

Peele’s construction career ended this year.

“I wanted to and had to look for something that would be adequate and fun,” he said, something that he and wife, Michelle — an athletically inclined artist — could do together.

He was already in excellent physical condition and has the mechanical skills to maintain the vehicle which, according to the manufacturer’s Web site, costs about $5,000. Other expenses include taxi and business licenses and insurance. The sturdy three-wheeled, 21-gear pedicab has hydraulic brakes, shock absorbers, seat belts, lights and a passenger canopy.

Peele’s gregarious personality suits the job. Many riders are tourists.

“The driver becomes an ambassador for downtown,” he says. “Everybody smiles and says good morning. It brings out the friendliness in people.”

Most people, at least. The Ride Peddler was a huge hit at the most recent First Friday in downtown Southern Pines, especially with children.

“Parents were reluctant initially but look — lo and behold, I brought their children back,” he says.

Peele has encountered other reticence.

“It’s fun to watch reactions,” he says. “You can tell people want to ride but they hesitate, more skeptical than suspicious. Maybe they’re taken aback because it’s free.”

Passengers do attract attention.

“I tell them to wave, like a homecoming queen in a parade,” Michelle Peele demonstrates.

Frank Dean and his 6-year-old daughter, Sarah Ellen, enjoyed the elevated view and the leisurely pace.

“Ed had to work a bit getting over the railroad tracks but it was really fun, a novelty,” Dean says.

The Peeles are developing ideas and costumes for Halloween and Christmas, surely reindeer horns on Ed’s head, and bells jingling from the “pedisleigh.”

The workout part has worked out. Vehicle plus passengers and driver may total 700 pounds. At first Peele, a runner, was too winded to converse with customers. He learned to zigzag between streets to avoid a steady climb. But for him, the joy of riding trumps any physical discomfort except on certain Ben-Gay days, “when I feel like I have 300 grandchildren.”

“We had a great idea, but we put it into action without knowing the ramifications,” he says. “(The business) has been experimental to this point.”
The alternative, his wife adds, was to sit around the house acting like life was over after the kids left.

Upsizing is the healthy state of this enterprise. The Peeles have ordered a second pedicab and are seeking personable, industrious, qualified drivers who pass a background check and are willing to work for tips, bookings, sleeker torsos and stronger legs.

Then, Ed Peele will pedal off to something else.

“I’ve got resumes out,” he says. “I’m looking for a career to replace the job I had. When I find one I’ll phase this over to the younger guys.”

Contact The Ride Peddler at www.theridepeddler.com or email hello@theridepeddler.com.

Chicago – The city is contemplating a new set of rules that one entrepreneurial duo says would wreak havoc on its fledgling pedicab business.

For one thing, the proposed ordinance would forbid pedicabs from displaying advertising, “the largest form of income I have available,” argues Julia Samuels, 24, who operates Chicago Rickshaw LLC with partner Rob Tipton.

Chicago Rickshaw owns 20 pedicabs, which it rents to drivers. Those pedicabs now can display ads at a rate of about $150 per day, per vehicle — “real money I can count on,” Ms. Samuels says. “The legislation they have proposed can easily put us out of business in a matter of months.”The proposed ad ban is about public safety, says Norma Reyes, commissioner of the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection. The city ordinance would require pedicabs to display a rate card, license number and the pedicab company’s name and phone number. “I don’t think there’s space there that will accommodate all the things that are going to be required,” Ms. Reyes says.

Ms. Samuels isn’t buying it. “I’ve got 40 square feet of brandable space” on each pedicab, she says.

Mr. Tipton, 32, also is confused by the proposed ad ban. Aside from Chicago Rickshaw, he also co-owns a pedicab company in New York, Mr. Rickshaw LLC. He says New York doesn’t prohibit pedicab ads.

Another aspect of the proposed ordinance that concerns him: a ban on pedicabs downtown before 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Mr. Tipton says Chicago seemed like a perfect fit for the business — with flat terrain, traffic problems that pedicabs could help alleviate and a mayor with a bicycle-friendly reputation. He says Chicago Rickshaw has a waiting list for drivers: “People need these jobs.”

But those jobs may not be around for long. “We’re just getting started here in Chicago, but (the proposed ordinance) would definitely force us to close our doors,” he says. “We’re probably going to have to take the fleet to a different city and try again.”

What’s yellow, on wheels, and found carting paying (and non-paying) passengers all over Oak Bluffs? The answer is a new, open-air way to tour the Island’s pastel-painted town or bar hop along Circuit avenue: Vineyard Pedicab.

If a bicycle got together with a taxi, the pair would birth a pedicab. These school-bus-yellow carts fused to 21-gear bikes hit the streets of Oak Bluffs more than six weeks ago. For a pay-at-what-you-will price, a cheery man or woman with killer calf muscles and a bell will cart you to your in-town destination — from the ferry dock to your bed and breakfast, from your harborside parked car to a taco platter at Sharky’s Cantina, or for a whirl around Cottage City. The only rule is to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

Strolling along Circuit avenue, I keep my eyes peeled for a yellow cart-on-wheels. Before long, I spy a vacant pedicab parked outside the public restroom on Kennebec avenue (I later learn that a pedicab is nearly always parked beside the information booth at the foot of Circuit avenue). After three minutes of patient waiting and peering into the women’s — and men’s — bathroom stalls for a girl or guy who looks like they can handle a honking 175-pound bike-cart, Vinnie Padalino appears from the General Store with a freshly-filled coffee mug. I tell him I’d like a ride. “Hop in,” he says.

As I climb aboard and seat myself in the cart for my first-ever Vineyard Pedicab ride, the sun-warmed leather seat stings the hind-side of my thighs. When settled, I look into 35-year-old Mr. Padalino’s face for the last time of the excursion and instruct him to take me on his most popular route.

Mr. Padalino straps his feet to the pedals and steers the carriage toward Ocean Park. Through the refreshing sea breeze, we cruise along the gravel divide that separates the Atlantic from the quaint Victorian mansions. When we approach people, friends or strangers to Mr. Padalino, my driver tinks the bell and calls out a cool “Hello.” Between greetings and bell-rings, Mr. Padalino educates me on the history of Oak Bluffs and many of the mansions punctuating the skyline. The largest corner home, he tells me, belongs to Peter Norton, developer of Norton Antivirus software. A fire blazed the mansion to the ground in 2001, he says, adding with a chuckle, “They should have installed a firewall.”

Staffed with 16 peddlers, Vineyard Pedicab is a not-for-profit company. The volunteer drivers keep 70 per cent of each tip as a wage. The remaining money gets funneled toward maintenance of the four pedicabs and in support of the Pan-Mass Challenge, a bike-a-thon across Massachusetts that raises money for cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. All profits incurred from advertising deals with Island businesses are also pooled to this joint cause.

There’s a green side to the yellow Pedicabs, too. Aside from the non-existent carbon footprint of the pedal-powered carts, all of the company’s advertisers adhere to environmentally friendly standards or support eco-healthy practices.

The founders of the business settled on a pay-as-you-please policy for Vineyard Pedicab in part because they simply liked the notion. The goal of the company is to provide an earth-friendly transportation substitute to buses, taxis and cars, and to raise money for cancer treatment and research. The do-good quality of the company often encourages customers to pay a good price. Twenty dollars is considered a top-notch exchange for a 15-minute cruise; five dollar tips, Mr. Padalino says, are more common.

First and foremost, co-owner John Pasquina, 26, later tells me, Vineyard Pedicab is a public service. “There are kids who wouldn’t be able to pay a going rate,” he explains. “We’re just fine to give them a ride for $1 or $2 — or nothing at all. It evens out with other customers who pay more.”

Pedicab driver Jed Reisser has experienced the buck-tip stiff. “On non-busy days [local] kids who know how we work just jump in for a ride home and give you a dollar,” he says.

Giving free rides — and they are infrequent — has been the only hurdle to business so far. “We don’t mind [giving a free] ride or two, but after that, it’s just like, this is our bread and butter!” Mr. Pasquina explains.

Pedaling from Ocean Drive to Narraganset avenue, Mr. Padalino tells me he has been stiffed once, but, adds, “most people get it.”

Dollars aren’t the only currency traded to the bikers in exchange for a lift. The pedal-power of 28-year-old co-owner Will Pasquina (John’s brother) once earned him a handful of blackberries and a broken bracelet. “It’s because he wears these strange hats, so it encourages people to treat him strangely,” John jests.

Continuing onto the more bustling and sunlit Circuit avenue, Mr. Padalino shares with me his own list of odd tips. He tells me his peddling once earned him an apple fritter and a bottle of milk. And after a long, late-night ride to their home in East Chop, a couple donated $25 and a can of Bud Light to Mr. Padalino’s collection bucket.

Pulling off the right shoulder of the street to allow a taxi and two cars to pass, Mr. Padalino explains another Vineyard Pedicab staple: a kind-and-courteous driving style. “We don’t really want to [annoy anyone] because we’re just starting off,” he says, adding, “The only negative response we got was right away with the cab drivers who didn’t want us parking in their spots, but I think they pretty much realized that we’re a different beast than them. It’s not really competition. We’re not taking their fares. In fact, we are helping them out, in a way, because we take their smaller fares that they aren’t going to make much money off of anyway.”

Equipped with safety features like headlights, blinker lights and a seatbelt, Pedicabs are treated as cars on Vineyard roads. “On a major street we’ll go typically with the flow of traffic, pulling over to the right every now and then to let drivers pass,” Mr. Padalino says. “Typically the passengers aren’t in any rush to go from point A to point B. They are more on a tour.”

What do the peddlers do when it rains? “Get wet,” Mr. Padalino says. A black “Vineyard Pedicab”-embroidered canopy raises from behind the cart to keep raindrops from soaking passengers. During a downpour, however, the drivers temporarily seek shelter. Few business opportunities are missed during storms because few customers are on the streets. John succinctly explains the general rule: “If there are people out, we are out.”

“We’re always encouraging our drivers to pray for sunny weather,” he adds. “And on days with lots of tourists, the sky is the limit.”

A famous hidden gem of Oak Bluffs, and one of the most popular Pedicab destinations, follows along the narrow passages of the gingerbread house-lined campground known as Cottage City. Mr. Padalino momentarily backpedals with his sun-bronzed legs before maneuvering the pedicab toward this last leg of our route.

“A lot of tours come [to Oak Bluffs] and they never find their way off Circuit avenue,” John later tells me. “We kind of pull them into the periphery and take them off the beaten path.”

As we meander through the Camp Ground, I learn that Mr. Padalino is a Pedicab driver with many tricks. When he’s not zooming passengers around town, he’s selecting the playlist on a free-form WVVY radio show, baking pizzas at Offshore Ale Co., laying stone as a mason or scraping the washboard with Island band Ballywho. And as a pedicab driver, too, he’s donned hats other than that of the tour guide-transporter. Two parents, frustrated with the naughty behavior of their children during dinner at Coop de Ville, slid Mr. Padalino a $10 bill to babysit their young son and two daughters. Once buckled in the cart (equipped to hold 600-pounds of passengers and goods), the kids were treated to a guided ride along the boat-filled harbor and into town to see the Flying Horses Carousel.

When my ride is finished, I hand Mr. Padalino a $10 bill. He will get to keep $7 of this tip; the other $3 will fund bicycle maintenance and support the Pan-Mass Challenge.

John later tells me that $10 is a very satisfactory tip. And after spending a quarter of an hour aboard a personalized Vineyard Pedicab tour-ride, many passengers, he says, slap their driver a double-digit tip in tune with mine.

Regardless of any monetary incentive, the Pasquina brothers say that their incentive for bringing pedicabs to the Vineyard stems from a commitment to public service, green energy and charity fundraising. Mostly, pedicabbing passengers on a quirky cart through Oak Bluffs is a pleasurable way for drivers to boost their income. Like a proud parent, John bubbles about his infant business venture: “It’s just the most jolly vehicle I’ve ever seen!”

Wes Weisheit vigorously pedaled his bike along North Fourth Avenue, pulling a reporter in the “cab” behind. The gentle bumps during the ride seemed to echo the pulsating beats from the Bose stereo attached to his bike.

This open-air taxi burns no gasoline and provides a leisurely ride to your destination.

Otherwise known as pedicabs, rickshaws or bike taxis, you’ve probably seen them cruising the streets during University of Arizona football games or late night on Fourth Avenue.

The pedicabs are free to ride, but the lively individuals, such as Weisheit, who power them work for tips.

The 46-year-old prefers to call the pedal-powered people-mover a rickshaw.

“It kind of gives it that foreign influence,” said Weisheit, who works most weekends on Fourth Avenue starting about midnight.

He’s pedaled people during pub crawls, UA football games and some basketball games.

And, of course, there’s St. Patrick’s Day. “That’s the best,” said Weisheit, whose usually starts around 3 p.m. on that day.

Riders include anyone from students to bar-goers to senior citizens, depending on the time and where they’re riding.

You often can spot a pedicab along Fourth Avenue or Downtown on weekends from midnight to about 3 a.m.

A pedicab usually is a bench seat on wheels enclosed by arm- and backrests. A bicycle — and its operator — serve as the “engine.”

Larger cities such as Phoenix and tourist towns like Key West, Fla., have an abundance of pedicabs in their downtowns. Tucson has just a few.

Weisheit first worked for Sean Dile, who bought his $4,000 pedicab in November 2007 from Colorado-based Main Street Pedicabs. The two met in December 2007, and Weisheit worked for him for about five months before branching out with his own Main Street pedicab in May. His model is tricked out with a $5,000 Bose stereo and gas-charged Volkswagen shock absorbers.

“The reason I came up with the idea is because I live by The Shanty and I wanted to go to Congress and not have to walk,” said Dile, who works at New Empire Food Market on West Ninth Street and commissions out his pedicab.

Weisheit said he’s logged about 1,500 miles on his rickshaw and probably carried 2,500 passengers.

“I think they do have a place here,” said Matt Zoll, bicycle and pedestrian program manager for the Pima County Department of Transportation. “It would be nice to see a successful one here — they have tremendous capabilities.”

Thom Devrie has hitched rides on a pedicab along Fourth Avenue. He said he likes the convenience of it when he’s on a date.

“Sometimes she’s wearing high heels and it’s hard for her to walk very far,” said the 22-year-old, who has tipped about $5 each time he’s used one. “It gets us to the next place faster and easier.”

Though Dile and Weisheit agree that it would be nice to operate the pedicabs during the day, they said demand tends to be low.

“People are on the Avenue in the daytime, but they tend to be sober and don’t ride,” Weisheit said.

As to how far they’ll ride people around, well, that depends.

“Far is relative to how many people you’ve got,” Weisheit said.

He has crammed six “small” students in his cab, which comfortably seats three to four. He said he’s carried about 800 pounds before, and he estimated that his cab alone weighs 170 pounds.

Weisheit said the average tip runs about $10. Of course, some riders don’t tip. To velvet-tongued pedicab drivers like Weisheit, non-tippers are few and far between. He usually persuades riders to give him something, even if it’s pizza or beer.

The real money is in the advertising on the cab. Dile’s rickshaw has had up to eight ads on it, from Nova Home Loans to Bison Witches Bar and Deli.

Weisheit mainly sticks to area advertisers like Brooklyn Pizza Co. and Ordinary Bike Shop. Depending on the placement of the ad — the back is the best spot — revenue varies, but the ads bring in hundreds a month.

David Tang, the 27-year-old owner of Ordinary Bike Shop, is pleased with the attention his ad brings.

“It’s great — it gives us lots of local exposure,” Tang said. “When members of the community are involved, it’s always great. It does a lot of local outreach.”
Erik Ryberg, self-described Tucson Bike Lawyer, thinks pedicabs are a great idea.

“I had some friends come into town to take the bar exam,” he said. “I wanted to show them old parts of Tucson and El Presidio, so they rode in the back of (Weisheit’s) pedicab.
“It was a great way of showing a couple of friends from Maryland what Tucson is like.”

Pedicabs are also beginning to tote tourists in downtown Portland, OR, Denver and Ft. Lauderdale, as well as in Spain, Denmark, England, Israel and Canada. Most carry two people, but there’s a four-passenger pedicab being operated in Phoenix. They’re even emblazoned with advertising, like taxis and buses.

Main Street Pedicabs is promoting their vehicles as being the greenest alternative: no emissions, no fuel to buy, no oil changes…Their pedicabs cost under $4,000, with $1,200 for an electrical assist unit.

I always secretly admired the daredevil bicycle messengers who zipped through city streets in San Francisco when I worked in the Financial District. But now they have another option: they can slow down a bit, bone up on local lore and take tourists on tours around Fisherman’s Wharf.

Maybe one day we’ll see pedicabs in cities like Mazatlan, Iztapa, La Paz…anywhere cruise ships land regularly. Instead of taking a taxi, the cruiser could climb into a pedicab and get a pleasant ride down the malecon where all the shops and restaurants are. Mexicans are ingenious at converting bikes to load-bearing vehicles with everything from refrigerated boxes for ice cream to little trailers attached to them. Why not cabs? A couple of foam seats, a canopy to keep off the sun, and off you go! (NOTE: None of the examples I saw had seatbelts, but I think they’re a must.)

“Environmentally friendly, well-equipped state-of-the-art rickshaw bicycles are a new way of getting around Seven Mile Beach and George Town,” said owner and operator Brian Barnes.

“I have no set route, and go wherever the passenger wants to go. They are well-equipped with signals, break lights, headlights, even seatbelts.”

Mr Barnes thought of the idea two years ago, and made his first application in September 2005 to import the rickshaw bicycles.

“The first two are here, and there are more on the way,” he said.

They can also be used for special events, such as weddings, private parties, parades, etc and they are also available for advertising and branding,” he added.

Mr Barnes also said businesses can advertise on the cabs, by ‘branding’ them with companies’ or products’ logos.

“It’s something new to Cayman and people use them right now in big cities such as Denver, New York, Florida, Las Vegas and Victoria in British Columbia, which is where I first fell in love with them and rode them to earn spare money, when I was going to school there,” said Mr Barnes.

People will be able to locate the cabs in and around the Seven Mile Beach and George Town locations.

For contact information people can phone 947-2222 or visit the company’s website at www.CaymanPediCab.com or email christopher@caymannetnews.com.

Content provided courtesy caymannetnews.com.

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