Philadelphia Daily News, November 3, 2009

Energetic entrepreneurs will be peddling a new form of transportation in the city soon – at least, they will be if City Council votes as expected to legalize and regulate the pedicab industry.

Pedicabs, or bicycles that tow a trailer with seating for two to four passengers, are common in Boston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and other cities.

City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown decided to introduce the pedicab legislation after seeing the vehicles in New York City.

“I came back to Philadelphia . . . [and] saw there were a couple of pedicab companies, but they were not regulated,” she said.

“I thought it would be a chance to get Philadelphia on the map like other cities and municipalities around the country,” she said. “It creates eco-friendly jobs and is a tourist attraction. It would add charm to the city.”

The bill is scheduled for a Council vote on Nov. 12.

The lack of pedicab regulation in the city had been a problem for local companies and for operators in other cities that wanted to set up shop here.

Ben and Tom Dambman co-own Chariots of Philly, a pedicab company that operated in Manayunk from 2003 until 2005.

When the brothers tried to expand into other parts of Philadelphia, the Department of Licenses and Inspections ordered them to cease operations until pedicab regulation was in place.

For the last three summers, they operated their business in Avalon, N.J.

“We want to work exclusively in Philadelphia – this is our home, and this is where we want to live and work,” said Tom Dambman.

Assuming the legislation passes, Dambman said, “Hopefully, within a couple of weeks we’ll be up and running.”

They hope to have 20 employees by next spring, he said.

Ben Morris, president of Boston Pedicab, also runs pedicab services in Newport, R.I., and San Francisco. He looked into expanding to Philadelphia in spring 2008.

“I thought it would have been a really good fit,” he said. The lack of regulation prevented him, he said.

Now that the legislation looks likely to pass, he said he would “absolutely” look into starting an operation here.

“We’re always looking to expand,” he said.

Philly cycling enthusiasts cheered the news.

“It’s good for the environment, it helps the health and quality of life for Philadelphians,” said John Boyle, advocacy director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. “It helps residents and tourists quickly get to where they need to go, and provides green jobs for the city.”

If Philadelphia cabbies were worried by the possibility of competition, they were playing it cool.

“We have two different markets,” said Ronald Blount, president of the Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania.

“Their market is more of novelty travel.”

And in winter, he said, “no one I know is going to want to get on the back of a cold bicycle to get to where they need to go.”

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.

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!”

It’s a question that bears repeating. So …What’s up with those bike rickshaws?

They seemed to appear out of nowhere this winter, multiplying like bunnies during the inauguration. Tourists seemed to think they’d always been there, a la Central Park East in New York City, but locals knew better. This is DC. We sell tourists “FBI: You Don’t Know Me” T-shirts, scream at them to stand to the right, sell ‘em a half-smoke and send ‘em packing. At best, they can shell out $60 to steer a Segway for an hour while wearing a dorky-looking helmet.

But the bike rickshaws. The rickshaws symbolize sweat, honest hard work, a throwback to far less equitable days, a practical laying down at one’s feet. And frankly, they just seem so cheesy. So … opportunistic. So … New York.

Turns out the bike rickshaws have been here in the District since the summer of 2006, when DC Pedicab opened up shop. In January, Mayor Adrian Fenty declared pedicabs the official vehicle of President Obama’s inauguration. (Weird, we thought it was that sweet, sweet armored Cadillac.) That’s why so many popped up around that time — about 100 were operating in D.C. for the inauguration, but most of those came from out of town. So it may seem like they’ve disappeared again, but we promise they’re still around.

You’ll most likely find them during bar nights in Adams Morgan/Gallery Place/anywhere people tend to drink a lot on the weekends; Verizon Center and RFK Stadium, and obviously the National Mall. It’s OK to take one for transportation instead of a tour. Just never, ever wear an FBI T-shirt.

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