By Dan Werner

“Hey, Rickshaw Willie,” someone calls out as Tim Wilhelm drives his Pedicab down Main Street in Akron, Ohio. It’s a common occurrence these days, as Wilhelm, aka “Rickshaw Willie,” has become somewhat of a local celebrity.

“Everybody has to have their picture taken with Rickshaw Willie,” Wilhelm says. “People are hugging me all the time, and kids will run out to the edge of the curb to high-five me as I drive down the road. Even some local business owners came up to me while I was eating dinner and told my wife that I had become a downtown Akron icon.”

But it was only about a year ago when the 54-year-old Wilhelm found himself depressed and at a crossroads in his life. A truck driver for 31 years, Wilhelm became the victim of a sagging economy when the trucking company he works for merged with another and then decided to take him out of his truck and onto the loading dock.

“It was about the lowest point I had ever been in my life,” he says. “I didn’t know if I’d pull out of the depression, but I’m not a quitter, so I kept thinking about what I could do.”

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Tags: bicycle, Cabs, Colorado, community, dan werner, downtown, driver, fun, Main Street, Main Street Pedicabs, manufacturer, Ohio, parade route, Pedicab, pedicab business, Pedicab News, pedicabs, pub crawl, rickshaw, street pedicabs, traffic

We’re in love with our Pedicab!!  We just got it today and are so very excited.  It looks great; we’re really impressed and can’t wait to get it out and rolling!  I just wanted to drop you a line and say thanks so much.

Thanks again,
Sarah Johnson
Greenstreet Cycles, Omaha, NE

We received the bikes. They are awesome, and on our test drive around the block a wedding photographer pulled us over and booked us for July. You weren’t kidding. These are going to be a big hit.

Thanks for all your help and hope to purchase more soon.

Andrew, Montgomery, Alabama

We love our Pedicab!  Our primary vehicle year-round in Ithaca, NY!

Thanks for all you do.

Elisabeth Harrod (mom of 2 boys), Ithaca, NY

I received the pedicab that you made for me.  All I can say,… it is beautiful!   It was a little bit of work riding it 7 miles home… but have to say, I have never been happier to have my legs feel like rubber… I knew that it would be harder than a regular bike… riding against the wind and up hill… still, I don’t think that I could be any more pleased.

I just want to thank all of you, for the work that you have done, to build this Pedicab for me.  I promise that I will take as much care it riding it as all of you have taken in building it.

Again, thank you all, very much.

as I am
R Henry Blum, Madison, Wisconsin

The cooperation I received from the people at MainStreet Pedicabs in Denver, Colorado was exceptional and they worked very hard to make our Pedal Pickup unique.

The bike has been used for a week now and is working out very well in assisting me in the performance of my normal work duties.  Most noticeable to me is the reduction in noise pollution.  What a quiet ride.  Also notable is the reduction in air pollution and natural resource consumption.  Additionally, the purchase cost was less than our gas run work vehicles, the maintenance cost will be reduced considerably, and fuel cost will be zero. It is my hope that a few more of these work bikes can be put to use on this campus in the future.

Thank you,

Michael Griffith, Groundskeeper, UC Davis

Got here today, looks great, rides great.  We’ve been around pedicabs for years, working with them almost evey day.  We’ve also had experience with several makes:  Main Street Pedicabs are the best.
Jim Wallace, Charleston, SC

Our family and friends marvel at this unique transportation. My parents are in their mid 80′s, and they absolutely love to ride around the neighborhood in it with us. My Grandchildren think that it is an awesome toy. People stop and comment about it all the time. We are having a blast with it! I am 58 years old and love bike riding. This system is so easy to handle! My 10 year old Grandson handles it just as easily as the adults that have ridden it.
Thanks again, Connie Davis, Lexington, SC

Let me first tell you that the white cab ROCKS!  It looks awesome at night, and it really stands out. I know I have gotten rides (customers) only because people can’t believe how nice it is (really)! You guys definitely set the standard. Natasha and I feel lucky to have gotten as much help, and a sweet pedicab, from you at Main Street.
Matt Elliott, Modesto, California.

Wonderful!! Our guests love them.
Mandie Brenczewski, The Department Restaurant, Joliet, Illinois

I am thrilled to say I received the pedicab yesterday and it’s everything I’d hoped for and more. It’s beautiful to ride and the family love it. I can’t thank you enough for your help and totally love my new pedicab.
Kindest Regards Andrea Kumar Whyalla, Australia

This year i got a Main Street Broadway pedicab. This is the king of pedicabs in the U.S. and it shows. I was never as happy as when I rode this yellow monster. If youre going to buy yourself a pedicab dont mess around and buy some cheap sh-t from ebay, spend the cash and get one of these. They’re worth every penny.
Cole Bates, Muskeegon, Michigan

I have never had anyone be so accurate with describing a new product to me as you did with the motor for my Trike. You are the greatest. Thanks for encouraging me with my selection and with your problem solving after the sale. I really appreciate you.
Glenn Ballantyne, Pueblo, Colorado

The traffic was so bad (at the Obama Inauguration), and so chaotically handled, that everyone had a story. Mine: Stuck for more than an hour near the Mall one night and late for an appointment, I jumped out of a car and hailed an open-air bicycle with a backseat. The driver threw a blanket on me and began to pump the pedals. “What is this called?” I shouted as we raced around limos and town cars. I expected some politically correct name like Energy Saving Mobile Apparatus. He looked back at me quizzically. “A rickshaw!” We got there on time, 15 blocks in four minutes, and like a happy capitalist, the driver, gauging the moment, the need and the competition, opened bidding at $25. I was grateful to pay.
Peggy Noonan, author and former speech writer for President Ronald Regan.

Tags: ballantyne, broadway, broadway pedicab, Cabs, Capital, Colorado, comment, connie davis, Energy, grandchildren, having a blast, inauguration, kindest regards, limos, Main Street, matt elliott, modesto california, obama, Pedicab, pedicab testimonial, pedicab testimonials, pedicabs, Product, pueblo colorado, rickshaw, Story, testimonials, theyre, traffic, Transport, transportation, trike, yellow monster

They provide pollution-free transportation while helping keep drinkers from driving

Matt and Natasha Elliott will do the legwork for your next night on the town.

The Modesto couple have started a pedicab business, pulling customers in a small, open-air coach attached to a bicycle.

The business, Downtown Peddlers, is believed to be the first of its type in the city. It started in November and could add a second vehicle next week.

“We always wanted to do something that would be environmentally good, and we also get to work out,” Natasha Elliott said. (more…)

Tags: adult passengers, bicycle, bicyclist, Cabs, carriages, central park, Colorado, day jobs, downtown, Environmentally, free transportation, gallo center for the arts, graceada park, legwork, lowest fare, Main Street, Main Street Pedicabs, modesto junior college, nightspots, passenger, Pedicab, pedicab business, Pedicab News, pedicabs, pub crawl, stanislaus county, street pedicabs, Transport, transportation

Past Speaker: Startup Junkie Underground

SPEAKER: Steve Meyer – Founder and CEO Mainstreet Pedicab
DATE: August 20 & 22, 2007
TOPIC: Peddling Your Way to Success – The Mainstreet Pedicab Story

Pedicabs are human-powered taxis seen in many of the major cities around the world. They work well for not only transporting people, but also for the delivery of food and merchandise.

In a world that is becoming overwhelmed with too many cars, pedicabs offer a green and sometimes romantic alternative. While they work best over short distances ranging from 2 to 10 blocks, they are fully capable of traversing much greater distances.

Steve Meyer didn’t invent the pedicab, but he is in the process of perfecting the marketplace for it. With multiple income streams and a loyal following, the pedicab industry is breaking into new territory.

Here is what it took for Steve Meyer to become one of the leading figures in the pedicab industry, and how Donald Trump had a hand in his success.

Speaker: Steve Meyer is the Founder and CEO of Mainstreet Pedicab in Broomfield and has worked most of his professional life self-employed, interspersed with periods of employment.

He attended the University of Colorado from 1972 trough 1979 getting both a BA in Environmental Biology and an MA in Economics. He spent more than a year of this time traveling in S. America, Asia, Europe and Africa.

For many years, Meyer worked in the real estate industry doing economic and market research for real estate developers. His interest in the redevelopment of downtown areas and his experiences in Asia were key factors in his development of Main Street Pedicabs. Main Street was founded in 1992 and is the largest manufacturer of this type of vehicle in N. America.

Tags: America, Colorado, DaVinci, davinci institute, donald trump, Main Street, Main Street Pedicabs, manufacturer, multiple income streams, Press Releases, professional life, SPEAKER, Speaker Steve Meyer, steve meyer, Steve Meyer - Founder, Story, success speaker, taxis, Transport, university of colorado, Your Way