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

By Rachel Kipp, The News Journal

NEWARK, Del. — Downtowns, particularly college towns, make room — and rules — for new pedicabs.

Pedicabs, adult-size tricycles with room in the back for passengers, have gone from the occasional tourist attraction to a more prominent means of public transportation, prompting a race by cities to beef up safety ordinances amid backlash from automobile cab operators.

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Tags: dan werner, downtown, Environmentally, Main Street, Main Street Pedicabs, manufacturer, nightlife, Pedicab, pedicab business, pedicab driver, pedicab drivers, Pedicab News, pedicab service, pedicabs, street pedicabs, taxi cab, tricycle

BY JOHN GALLAGHER

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.

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Tags: advertising, bicycle, Cabs, detroit business, downtown, driver, entrepreneur, Operators, passenger, Pedicab, pedicab business, Pedicab News, pedicabs, rickshaw, terry walker, waterfront promenade

By: Sandra A. Swanson August 10, 2009

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.” (more…)

Tags: advertising, bicycle, Cabs, Chicago, downtown, Drivers, entrepreneur, fleet, Julia Samuels, Mr. Tipton, Ms. Samuels, Pedicab, pedicab business, Pedicab News, pedicab operators, pedicabs, rickshaw, Rob Tipton, Safety, traffic

Ocean Isle Beach visitors and residents have a new option for
traveling around the island this summer.

Coastal Bike Cabs, a new pedicab service, begins operations here in
early June. Pedicabs are bicycle-driven pedestrian taxis that offer an
environmentally friendly alternative to short-distance travel.

“It’s a great way to see our island and visit restaurants and shops
while enjoying the fresh air,” says Betsy Palmer, owner of Coastal
Bike Cabs. (more…)

Tags: beach vacation, betsy palmer, bicycle, bikes, Cabs, Coastal, dan werner, Environmentally, fresh air, fun, Main Street, Main Street Pedicabs, ocean isle beach, Pedicab, pedicab business, Pedicab News, pedicab service, pedicabs, taxis, Transport, transportation, vacation experience

BY KRISTEN J. KUBISIAK AND RAMELLE BINTZ • DOOR COUNTY ADVOCATE • MAY 9, 2009

Door County visitors will have a new option for traveling the downtown areas of Sturgeon Bay and Fish Creek this summer.

Two new businesses in the area are offering pedicab services. Pedicabs are a bicycle-driven pedestrian taxi that offer an environmentally friendly alternative to short-distance travel.

“It’s a great way for people to get where they want to go while enjoying the fresh air,” said Angie Brusky, co-owner of Peninsula Pedicabs LLC in Fish Creek. (more…)

Tags: bicycle, brusky, Cabs, dismal economy, entrepreneur, fish creek, fresh air, fun, Main Street, Main Street Pedicabs, new businesses, new option, Pedicab, pedicab business, Pedicab News, pedicabs, street pedicabs, sturgeon, sturgeon bay, taxicab, transportation