The South by Southwest music festival bills itself as “the premier destination for discovery.” It’s also the destination for truckloads of cash, as music and art fans flock to Austin, Texas, each March. Last year’s event brought nearly $100 million to the city, according to one analyst.

The more than 200,000 “creative class” types — musicians, media gurus, filmmakers — who come to South by Southwest (often known merely as SXSW) spend money not only at the official event, but also in Austin’s rich underground economy.

The annual festival has become a cash cow for the city, says Ben Loftsgaarden, an economic analyst with Greyhill Advisors who studied the economic impact of last year’s event.

“About $99 million, almost $100 million, was basically injected back into the Austin economy over that nine-day festival period,” he said.

Lofstgaarden says this year’s visitors might spend a bit less, because of the tough economy. But the money is not just going toward tickets. There’s a kind of underground economy that has grown up around the festival: food vendors, merchandisers, knickknack sellers, cab drivers.

Well, maybe not exactly cab drivers. For the SXSW crowd, pedicabs, or bike taxis, are all the rage.

“The attenders for SXSW are much more likely to take a pedicab versus a cab,” said Amy Waller, a pedicab driver who moved to Austin from Baltimore. “It’s just cooler. It’s trendier — that’s why we’re making money.”

Waller says she hopes to make some pretty good money shuttling conference attendees to and fro. “Maybe like a month’s pay at my day job, my 9-to-5,” she said.

If that happens, Waller already knows how she’ll spend the loot.

“Everyone kind of plans what they’re going to do with their money,” she said. “My plan is to try to buy a motorcycle, so I can get rid of my car. That’s what I’m banking on, that’s my goal.”

During the festival, there’s no shortage of food. Marc Stimak owns Texas Picnic Company Barbecue and Char Pit, a mobile food trailer.

“We do chopped beef, Carolina pulled pork and Alabama chicken,” Stimak said. “Comes with a white barbecue sauce, 12 ingredients. It’s killer good.”

And in a nod to Tex-Mex tradition, you can get it all in a tortilla. Every year, mobile food vendors take up strategic positions all over downtown Austin. In a good SXSW year, Stimak will make almost four to six times what he would in a normal week.

“It’s kind of like our Christmas, if you will. This is the Christmas season,” he said.

Even so, Stimak says people are spending a bit less. Patrons who used to buy his two-for-one taco special just for themselves are now splitting it with friends.

But because almost all of the vendors are local, most of the money spent on things like food and transportation goes back into Austin’s economy.
Mike Shea, SXSW executive director, says Austin is the perfect partner for the festival, especially compared with other — colder — cities.

“Every time it freezes in New York, we get another hundred registrations in Austin,” he said.

And with every one of those new registrants, Austin prepares a little more food and a few more cabs.

One of my favorite local companies, Boston Organics, is hopping back on the bicycle bandwagon. Literally.

For local deliveries in close proximity to their Charlestown headquarters, Boston Organics will be using their new cargo trike to bring boxes of organic, local produce directly to customers’ doors.

Kudos to Cathy for powering the trike. I’m sure you’ll be well rewarded with some beautiful glutes.

Boston Organics isn’t the first company to employ pedal power. In fact, Jeff sought the help of Boston Pedicab to get started. You’ve seen the pedicab “drivers” around town… they wear fluorescent yellow shirts and are especially popular before and after Red Sox games.

Use these guys! It’s a huge step in reducing your company’s greenhouse gas emissions, plus you’re supporting a local business that’s doing real good for the community.

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.

Every time Brett and Matt Dingeldein pass each other while operating one of their pedi-cabs, they salute each other by ringing the bell.

“We’ve got both hands on the handlebars when we’re pedaling,” Brett said. “The bell is right there by your thumb, so it’s a good way to say ‘Hi.’ And we ring the bell at everybody downtown.”

Since Memorial Day, the father and son have operated Green Street Pedicabs, which offers pedi-cab service around downtown Naperville. Brett, 57, got the idea for the business two years ago. While working out, he was listening to Marketplace on National Public Radio. As host Kai Ryssdal talked about being in the Far East and using pedi-cabs as a method of transportation, inspiration struck.He put together a proposal, which then began making its way through the city’s review process. Earlier this year, the City Council gave Green Street the green light.

“We hope that what we’re doing can change the way some people in this town look at short-distance transportation. Because it’s really easy to get in your car and go to the grocery store, but the consequences of that are the continued consumption of fuels and all the things that always get beaten around in the news,” said Matt, 25.

By day, the Naperville residents work at their landscaping company, Oak Grove Gardeners. But at night, they drive one of their three pedi-cabs around downtown.

“As more things start to happen in the fall and on weekends, we’re going to start operating on the weekends during the day as well,” Brett said.

“This is the best part. It’s free,” Matt said. “We encourage gratuity, however at this time, we are not offering a fare in order to promote our services.”

Each pedi-cab sits two adults. Along with Brett and Matt, there is one other driver, Liz Shuter. Operating the cab is less about skill than it is about physical endurance, Matt said.

Each pedi-cab weighs 150 pounds. If you have another 300 pounds of passengers and add 150 for the driver, “you’re pushing 500 pounds when you’re pedaling,” Brett said.

At the beginning, they were exhausted.

“But not anymore,” Brett said.

While they don’t have any plans to add more pedi-cabs, they might add a different model that can accommodate more passengers for things like weddings. And they are working with Ghost Tours of Naperville to soon provide tours by pedi-cab, Brett said.

“The whole experience has been great,” Brett said.

1. Which do you use more often, car or bike? Matt: We tend to use our bicycles more for in-town travel. Our office is located almost at the corner of Naperville, Aurora and Plainfield, so we tend to drive to work. But when it comes to getting around downtown, I’m always on my bike.

2. What is the most unusual request or story you have? Brett: I had, last Saturday night, a father and his daughter that were downtown. (She was) maybe 5 or 6 years old, and they came from Cookie Dough Creations walking across Chicago Avenue. They were obviously dressed to ride a motorcycle. They both had their leather coats and their leather boots. And the little girl was just riding with Dad. And they both hopped on their motorcycle and talked for a while, then came over went for a ride with me. They had just done a motorcycle trip to Toronto, Canada, together. They were just a cool pair. That little young lady was — she was a cool little girl.

Matt: Probably one repeating theme is people want to drive it, all the time. We always get people who want to take pictures with it, or on it.

3. Do people call to make an appointment, or can you just hail a pedi-cab like a taxi? Matt: We’ve had great success with both. Our telephone number advertised on the pedi-cab is actually a cellular number, so if somebody calls it, and they see us on the street they can say, ‘Can you pick me up at Potter’s Place in a half hour and take me to my car?’ Or Jimmy’s. Or home, if they live close enough. So that makes up a much smaller percentage of our pick-ups than the impromptu, ‘Hey pedi-cab’ or ‘Hey rickshaw …’”

Brett: “…take us for a ride around town.” They’ll come out of a restaurant or bar and just want to go for a quick tour around Naperville.

4. Has anybody every yelled at you for driving slow? (the cabs move along at 9-14 mph) Brett: “No. We’ve been very pleased. That was also a question in my mind as to how traffic is going to react. And traffic moves slow enough downtown that I’ve never been honked at or yelled at … And actually, it’s motorists (who yell) “Hey cool!” and “Right on!”

5. Is there something you learned about downtown that you didn’t know before by driving the pedi-cabs? Brett: How energetic and lively downtown Naperville is at night. The energy that’s going on later in the evening, say past 11.

Matt: Between Main Street and Washington Street on Chicago Avenue, it’s just this constant pulsating sea of activity and people. It’s so great, and if you went by it during the day, you would have no idea. But from two people who have spent the majority of their lives in Naperville, it’s exciting to see. My dad could probably appreciate it a little more than I can, how downtown Naperville has evolved. Because really there are people that come from all over the suburbs that come to enjoy the festivities downtown.

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.”

“I had seen pedicabs all over New York City and when one of my friends started riding in my hometown of DC, it just clicked,” Brizendine said of the creation of Ocean City, MD based Coastal CruZn, LLC. “Saurabh and I are both passionate about doing our part to contribute to the environment, so the progression into creating a pedicab business just came naturally.”

The co-owners have proved their commitment to environmental awareness through a number of different aspects. Coastal CruZn has a component in its employee handbook that mandates employees come into work with at least three recyclable items. What do they do with these recyclables? Why donate it to an affiliate company, Atayne, which makes athletic gear completely out of recyclables of course.

The two entities, Atayne and Coastal CruZn, are also teaming up to organize an environmental fundraiser in Ocean City, MD the first week of August. Atayne is focused primarily around the running world and Coastal around biking, so the entities thought a hybrid bike and foot race would prove to attract a diverse crowd.

“It’s all for a good cause and we are both so pumped to get started,” Brizendine said.

Coastal CruZn, LLC anticipates launching its venture on Memorial Day in Ocean City, MD, with high hopes in a market that has never gotten the privilege of experiencing pedicabs. Local Ocean City businessman Nick Campagnoli commented, “What these young guys are doing is absolutely incredible. They’re providing jobs, doing their part to contribute to the overall cleanliness and adding to the majesty of Ocean City by offering a new experience.”

There are many pedicab businesses all over the world but the owners maintain that what differentiates them is their utmost commitment to entertaining their “pedicabees” (which is Coastal’s nickname for their base of loyal consumers). They emphasize that extensive knowledge of the area and unique personalities of the drivers are the leading forces to keeping their pedicabees coming back for more.

“We feel that anyone can start a pedicab business, but we want to make sure that everyone involved in our organization is passionate about impacting the environment and people’s lives,” co-owner Saurabh Chawla said. “We carefully choose Coastal CruZn employees that exhibit how proud they are of their organization. We also like our guys to get to know their pedicabees on a first name basis and form the kind of relationship that people can look back at after their vacation is over and just smile.”

On a bad day, cycling in London feels like dinosaurs versus mammals. You, the warm-blooded cyclist, may ultimately inherit the earth, but until then you run the grave risk of being squished by a lumbering, petrol-fuelled sauropod. You have the acceleration, the visibility, the manoeuvrability; they have the weight, the momentum, the airbags.

There are good days, of course, when pedalists and petrolheads give way to each other in a haze of goodwill. But they are rare. So it is with some trepidation that I approach BugBugs’ Holborn Viaduct lock-up. My task is to give one of its pedicabs a test-ride; and pedicabs – as their operators prefer to style these latter-day rickshaws – are the SUVs of London’s bike scene: big – maybe too big – and apt to provoke extremes of opinion.The Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA), for example, hates them. “Whilst the third world is doing all it can to lose the last of these degrading pedal-powered contraptions, some unscrupulous operators are clogging up the streets of the Metropolis with the same slow, traffic-halting bikes,” it says on its website. It claims that pedicabs charge rip-off fares and are fundamentally unsafe. To prove this last point, a video clip shows a yellow cab ploughing into a hapless crash-test dummy astride a pedicab; it’s unclear who the menace is here but the animosity towards pedicabs is clear.

In the event, my test-ride proves to be confrontation-free. This is largely because Friedel Schroder, BugBugs’ owner and my instructor in the art of pedicab-riding, refuses to let me on to the main road. Instead I am confined to a short stretch of Shoe Lane by the lock-up. Schroder, a trim, crop-haired 40-year-old in fleece and jeans with just the faintest trace of a German accent, is big on safety. Before they can go out on the road, BugBugs’ riders must be trained up to National Cycling Standard Level 3 and need to have a grasp of pedicab mechanics. Passengers are asked to use the inertial seatbelts that are standard on the newer pedicabs, which may seem a bit excessive but it does send out reassuring signals.

Decidedly not sending out reassuring signals is my right foot, which, Schroder informs me as I swing my leg over the saddle on first mounting, has connected with the shins of my imaginary passengers. Suitably chastened, I start pedalling and I’m off.

“Watch the front wheel,” Schroder tells me, “where it goes there the rest of the pedicab will go.” This seems obvious but is good to know, given the metre-plus-wide passenger platform clunking along behind me. Schroder’s advice turns out not to be strictly true: as I try to do a U-turn, I skim the front wheel past the kerb but the rear wheel hits it. I have to put the bike into “reverse”, pushing the front wheel backwards with my foot.

After a few more turns up and down the road I feel like I’m really getting the hang of it. Schroder, ever safety-conscious, urges me to keep my fingers poised over the brakes – hydraulic at rear, simple cantilever at the front. It’s a bit tricky to glance at what’s coming behind, because of the passenger canopy: I either need to stand on the pedals or crouch down to see through the transparent rear panel. I’m also self-conscious about not repeating the error that every two-wheel veteran apparently makes on a trike: leaning into corners. On a bike, turning a corner feels like a kind of controlled fall; on a trike you need only to steer.

The pedicab is a less responsive ride than a bike, of course, but it doesn’t feel sluggish, even when Dan, who’s come to photograph proceedings, gamely agrees to be my passenger. And this machine, the US-manufactured Main Street, in New York taxi yellow, is only the Ford of pedicabs. The BugBugs fleet also boasts the Audi – the German-made Velocab – and the Rolls-Royce, the Bath-made Cycle Maximus, yours for £4,000.

Their common virtue is that, aside from manufacture and shipping, they all emit zero carbon, as Schroder cheerfully points out. They are, he says, the way forward for cities striving to cut carbon, or cope with resource constraints (Schroder is involved in a scheme to get cargo versions of the pedicab on to the streets of Gaza).

He also diligently rebuts the LTDA’s arguments against his beloved trikes, and observes, with sly diplomacy, that cabbies are skilled enough to be able to negotiate his machines without difficulty. Talks with Westminster council about official pedicab ranks appear to be bearing fruit; and no, he insists, fares aren’t a rip-off. They are more than a cab, certainly, at about £5 per person per mile, but that’s because of the muscle power involved. As for safety, Schroder points out that it’s a crucial part of the training you receive when you hand over your £140 for a month’s pedicab hire. BugBugs is also pressing for industry regulation, including a licensing system.

This is, Schroder says, a career option suited to those who have to work around other commitments, such as studying, or who need money to travel. There’s more than a hint of the backpacker hostel in the agreeably shabby common room by the entrance to the BugBugs lock-up, with its collection of grimy sofas, iMac terminals and well-thumbed paperbacks.

The rest of the lock-up is a truly impressive chain of barrel-ceilinged vaults stretching west towards Holborn Circus, one of those unsuspected spaces that London surprises you with from time to time. It houses not only Schroder’s fleet, some 47 of the capital’s (by his estimate) 700 or so pedicabs, but also other operators’ machines. All are tipped up on their back ends to save space, rank upon rank rearing up: a taxi driver’s subterranean nightmare. To Schroder, it’s a zero-carbon dream come true. “I love this to bits,” he says.

As I leave, in the early afternoon, BugBugs’ workers are starting to arrive and to pedal their machines into the teeming streets. It seems a convivial enough operation, although I’m glad to be hastening back to my snug office. Later in the day, oil is a snip at $37 a barrel, and the following day a climate scientist warns that the environmental costs of global warming will be more severe than we have so far supposed. I wonder if evolution is on the pedicabs’ side.

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.)