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.

Tony Benedict, right, pedals four pedestrians home from a night of partying Friday from Albert Avenue.

Wearing a black leather jacket reminiscent of Johnny Ramone, well-manicured facial hair and a big grin, Tony Benedict, owner of Pure Power Pedicab, is East Lansing’s one and only bicycle taxi.

Benedict, an East Lansing resident and former paramedic, has been serving the East Lansing community since November 2008 with his human-powered mode of transportation.

“I go completely on tips, and I do that because I don’t want to set a set rate,” Benedict said. “Some people just want a ride and they really don’t have a lot of money. I figure everyone should have a ride if they just want to go home and they don’t live too far away.”

On average, Benedict said he is tipped $5-$6 for rides that average about a quarter mile, although a particularly generous customer once gave him $100.

Benedict operates his taxi Thursday through Saturday, starting around midnight. On any given night, he’ll give 20-40 rides with two or three people riding in his cab at a time.

Aimee Ryder, an interdisciplinary studies in social science and human resources and society senior, rode in the pedicab for the first time this winter.

“It was something I always wanted to do before I graduated,” she said, “We had left from the bar, Rick’s (American Café). We were going to our house.”

Ryder said the blanket Benedict includes in the cab to keep passengers warm and his willingness to take photos of her and her friends made the ride that much better.

Benedict’s relationship with bicycles began when his truck was destroyed and he began using a bicycle as a primary mode of transportation. This, he said, was when he realized the power of bicycles.

For Benedict, his pedicab is more than a job — it also is a way to demonstrate his desire to reduce dependence on automobiles and congestion.

“I am doing it kind of for the money, but not really,” Benedict said. “It’s just very enjoyable, meeting new people and if they enjoy the ride and if these things can grow, that’s what I’m looking for — like something where I can contribute to East Lansing a little bit.”

Benedict’s pedicab weighs in at 185 pounds. The giant tricycle can hold three passengers, has 21 gears, disc breaks, turning signals and brake lights. Brandished on the back of the pedicab’s chassis is a painting of a tiger, a symbol that Benedict chose, he said, because “it gives it strength.”

Benedict sees the future of pedicabs and that of the East Lansing and MSU communities as intertwined. Aside from being environmentally friendly, to Benedict, bicycle taxis could contribute to the area’s “flavor.”

“I do know MSU and East Lansing are definitely looking for new ways to stimulate the city as well,” Benedict said. “This would just be something to help stimulate a little of it. Give it something new, something different.”

LONDRES.-  Con Boris Johnson los londinenses han cogido el gusto por los pedales. Pero fueron otros los que encontraron mucho antes el potencial a ir sobre ruedas en el ajetreado asfalto de la capital británica. Son muchos los que conocen los ‘rickshaws’, pero muy pocos los que saben verdaderamente los secretos de estos populares triciclos que trabajan como bici taxis. Visitamos ‘Shone Lane’, el gran garaje donde duermen los pedicabs más famosos de toda Europa.

Para entrar hay que marcar una clave en la puerta que sólo conocen los conductores de estos vehículos. “Entran y salen cuando quieren. Ellos se ponen sus propios horarios”, cuenta Vanessa Celosse, que trabaja en Bugbugs, el primer operador que en 1998 sacó a la calle una flota de 18 ciclocarros. En principio, el proyecto estaba destinado para dar “trabajo verde” a los desempleados, pero hoy en día muy pocos viven exclusivamente de dar al pedal. La mayoría de los conductores son jóvenes que vienen a aprender inglés o estudiantes que quieren sacarse el dinero para pagar el alquiler mientras acaban sus clases.

El sistema funciona de modo que estos jóvenes alquilan un rickshaw por unas libras a la semana (entre 40 y 85, según el tipo de vehículo), y como media, frente al manillar se pueden llevar entre 100 y 250 libras semanales, según las horas que trabajen (consulta esta oferta de empleo). Muchos de estos conductores proceden de Latinoamérica (30%), Europa del Este (30%) y Turquía (30%). ¿Españoles? “Alguno que otro también hay —dice Vanessa— pero normalmente vienen sólo por tres meses”.

Si bien lo más solicitado en estos momentos son los alquileres de estos vehículos para bodas y despedidas de soltero y de soltera, Vanessa aún recuerda cuando llamaron a la compañía preguntando si también ofrecían servicios funerarios. “Fue hace poco. Se murió una mujer que siempre había defendido el medio ambiente. Preparamos un carro especial para llevar el féretro y todo el mundo acudió al entierro subido a una bicicleta, fue algo muy especial”, explica.

Pese a estas excepciones, los responsables de los operadores ya no sacan tantas ganancias como antes. Carlos, de Colombia, recuerda el gran negocio que supuso el inicio de los triciclos. “Era una novedad. Los turistas y los mismos ingleses lo veían como algo exótico. Por aquel entonces sí que había trabajo. Te podías sacar alrededor de 700 libras a la semana”, dice. Aunque durante dos años se pasó desde las doce de la mañana hasta las doce de la noche llevando gente de un lado a otro, ahora ha decidido “pasarse al otro lado” del negocio. Hace un mes se compró diez de estas bicicletas de tres ruedas. “Me costaron 700 libras cada una —me cuenta mientras las limpia con esmero— pero quiero vender dos para comprarme una mejor”.

Aunque las de aluminio son las más deseadas, hay un pedicab en concreto que se ha convertido en la “estrella” del garaje. Tiene altavoces de alta definición e incluso hasta televisor. “Se la compró un chico hace tiempo y poco a poco ha ido transformando el vehículo. Ahora es increíble”, dice Vanessa. Aunque el garaje es utilizado por los operadores, también hay particulares que pueden alquilar una plaza individual. Carlos, por ejemplo, paga por su apartado 500 libras al mes. “A los chicos les pides entre 60 y 70 libras a la semana por utilizar la bicicleta. El resto es para ellos. Antes en verano pedían más, pero ahora con la crisis, la cosa está muy mal”, matiza. Aunque hay noches que los conductores se van a casa sólo con 10 libras, Carlos ha enseñado a sus chicos los “trucos” que realmente dan dinero. La jugada maestra son los stripties. “Los turistas siempre te preguntan dónde están. Si tú los llevas, el club te tiene que dar 20 libras. Hay algunos que incluso más”, dice. Los novatos no saben donde están “los puntos estratégicos”, pero los veteranos siempre les ayudan.

Uno de los consejos que también dan a los principiantes es que tengan cuidado con los ‘black cab’, los famosos taxis negros. La batalla que existe entre los dos medios de transporte empezó el mismo día que los triciclos salieron a la calle. “No nos aguantan. Nos cierran el paso e incluso nos tiran monedas de peniques cuando pasan a nuestro lado. Obviamente no todos, pero algunos sí se portan muy mal”, dice Carlos. Por su parte, la Asociación de Conductores de Taxi con Licencia (LTDA) subraya en su página web que “aunque parezca mentira, en el Londres del siglo XXI existe un gran problema con los rickshaws; mientras el Tercer Mundo hace todo lo posible para acabar con el último de esos degradantes artilugios impulsados por pedales, operadores sin escrúpulos obstruyen las calles de la Metrópolis con esas mismas lentas bicis que frenan el tráfico”.

Un episodio que marcó un antes y después en esta guerra fue el pasado mes de diciembre, cuando un peatón se salvó de milagro de un atropello por un ciclocarro descontrolado que colisionó con un restaurante en Soho. La Policía descubrió que el carro tenía batería y los taxistas aprovecharon para pedir que se prohibieran. “Es cierto que algunos utilizaron baterías, pero ahora estamos pendientes de una regulación y nadie se quiere arriesgar a perder el negocio. La pelota lleva años entre el ayuntamiento y la Policía. Aún no sabemos nada, pero puede llegar en cualquier momento, por eso es mejor tener todo perfecto”, matiza Carlos.

Y es que el peso de alguno de los pedicabs hace la jornada insoportable para los conductores. David, de 28 años, empezó hace tan sólo un mes a pedalear y ya no sabe qué pantalones ponerse de todo el peso que ha perdido. “Mis amigos no me reconocen”, me dice mientras me muestra el último agujero del cinturón. Toca el contrabajo y estudia negocios musicales. “En cuanto pueda lo dejo. Hoy por lo menos tengo que sacar 15 libras para pagar el teléfono”. Saca el triciclo que han asignado y me monto en el asiento para irme con él hasta el centro. David asegura que muchas veces, más que el dinero, merece la pena toda la gente interesante que conoce en los trayectos. “Me gusta hablar con ellos”. Y la verdad es que él tiene grandes historias que contar. A los 17 años se fue de casa y desde entonces ha estado viviendo en Canadá, París, Barcelona, Londres… una auténtica caja de sorpresas.

Me deja en mi destino. En Piccadilly me cojo otro ciclocarro para ir hasta China Town. Aunque la mayoría operan en el centro, nada les prohíbe llevar a sus clientes hasta el rincón más perdido de Londres. Mi interlocutor ahora se llama Marek. Es polaco y tiene 22 años. Lleva un año pedaleando. “En cuanto termine los estudios lo dejo”. Aunque la mayoría de sus clientes no le ha dado problemas, también me cuenta que hay muchos borrachos por la noche que se bajan corriendo antes de llegar al destino para no pagar”. Le pregunto por qué apenas hay chicas metidas a “conductoras”. En el momento en el que me deja subirme a la bicicleta lo entiendo todo. Aquello pesaba horrores. El trayecto apenas dura siete minutos. El precio que hemos pactado es de 5 libras. Aunque en su día fueron los más exóticos, hoy los pedicabs se caracterizan por ser el medio de transporte más caro de la capital británica.

The bride stood out against the backdrop of Central Park: The temperature was in the 50s, yet she had nothing more on her torso than a lace bustier. Below, her dress was as voluminous as an inflated parachute, dragging as she hobbled along the path. I was gliding along comfortably in the back of a pedicab, with plenty of room next to me on the seat. So I offered her a lift.

The look she gave me was not gratitude. After a few more friendly entreaties, the groom caught up to us. “She doesn’t want to,” he said. With that, they turned off the path and she hobbled onward, juggling various hems.

I was stunned. Did she just reject my chivalrous offer? Could I possibly look that weird? Then I thought: Oh wait, she’s seen the video.

If you have not caught it on YouTube or the evening news, the video shows a pedicab driver getting into a brawl with a taxi driver on Broadway, and it has given pedicabs — already viewed as suspect — an unwelcome moment in the spotlight. In June, one got into an accident after crossing the Williamsburg Bridge into Brooklyn, where pedicabs are not allowed in the first place. By the time a Fox 5 cameraman caught the pedicab driver hurling a garbage can at the taxi driver, the whole fleet was in for a whupping.

Now the City Council has passed a law requiring all pedicabs — there’s no reliable figure for how many are on the road — to be inspected and registered by Nov. 20. “Pedicabs have been for too long acting like they rule the streets ahead of any other mode of transportation,” City Councilman Leroy G. Comrie Jr. told The New York Post.

Having never thought to ride one — any more than one of those ridiculous party bikes (which probably are fun if you’re drunk enough to get on) — I had to wonder, could pedicabs really be that bad? Worse even than buses, the oblivious, lumbering bullies of the city streets? So I spent a few days being driven around on three wheels, and even on occasion taking the handlebars myself. Let’s just say I do better in the back than in the front.

The drivers who congregate at 58th Street and Seventh Avenue said they were delighted someone was finally going to regulate their business. They take their jobs seriously, and say people who don’t should be kept off the road.

Bernard Treanor, a driver for six years, has an impeccable pedigree: He trained with George Bliss, an industrial designer, who started one of the city’s first pedicab companies in 1995. “We were all actors and musicians,” said Mr. Treanor, who recently appeared in an independent film and is writing a novel about Central Park. “We needed to do this so we could hit our auditions.”

Today, many drivers are recent immigrants who rent pedicabs by the week (around $200 in summer, as low as $80 in January). Before, “the only thing in these guys’ way was maybe, like, a random goat,” he said. “And now they’re guiding a family through Times Square?” It’s turning police officers, who used to cheer him on, into enemies, he said.

I felt a little silly the first time I climbed into the back seat, but despite the autumn chill I warmed to it quickly. As with riding a bicycle, you see things at that pace that you can’t see from a car, and you get to put your feet up in a way you obviously can’t while walking. If your driver is full of interesting historical information, great, sit back and learn. If not, tell him to shut up (but apologize with a tip).

After a few rides, I persuaded a driver to let me try. It’s hard to keep the wheel straight, and during turns I kept thinking it was going to tip over, as a bicycle might. (A girly shriek ensued.) Of course there’s almost no way to tip over: the vehicles are solidly balanced on three wheels, with a lot of ballast keeping them that way. Especially if your driver hops in the back, as mine eventually did, then invites his friend in, too. By that point I was laughing too hard to go very far. I got no tip.

More seriously, it’s about as green a conveyance as anyone is ever going to find. But what do the tourists who typically ride them care about keeping our streets and our air clear? Perhaps, I started to think, pedicabs are being wasted on their passengers — and perhaps that is part of the reason they’re largely reviled. What if New Yorkers exercised eminent domain and reclaimed these overgrown tricycles for our own daily use?

To lead the way, I tried hiring a pedicab to run a few errands: dry cleaning, deli, the basics. Fine. But when I thought about visiting Aunt Frances at Mount Sinai Hospital, I found that at about $1 per minute or per block, what would be $15 in a taxi would be a trip to the A.T.M. in a pedicab. Fail.

I turned to Mr. Bliss for guidance. “The goal when I started this was that the pedicabs would actually be less money than a yellow cab,” he said.

He began that experiment downtown, where he thought people would be open to the idea, but he found they were too self-conscious to ride in a pedicab. It worked for a while in Midtown, but today, he said, sounding melancholy to the point of despair, the dream is dead.

“The pedicab industry itself became self-marginalizing,” he said. “It became more and more tourist oriented, less transportation oriented. We need drivers who are educated, fluent in languages. They need to be ambassadors to the city.”

We also need stricter regulation of the fleet, he said, and electric-assisted pedicabs — which he developed with a state grant, but the city does not allow. In short, we need the city to decide that a fleet of law-abiding, low-cost vehicles that consume no gas, is in everyone’s interest.

Take that to its logical conclusion and you get people commuting by rickshaw, exchanging newspaper sections with the guy in the next lane at a red light. Kids picked up after school by a parent on three wheels who has already stopped for groceries. A bride in Central Park accepting a lift from a pushy but well-meaning stranger. Wouldn’t you like to live in that city?

It seems a lot of people would say no.

In 2007, a city councilman was quoted in the Village Voice saying that pedicabs caused pollution by increasing congestion. Perhaps he’s right; perhaps pedicabs and cars cannot coexist in Manhattan. Maybe it’s not safe to have three wheels darting in and out of four-wheel traffic. Maybe the time has come to make a change. How about we get rid of the cars?

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.

The decision to start a pedicab business stemmed from a love of the
outdoors and fitness, which is a definite requirement for drivers to
haul between 400 and 600 pounds of weight around the island at a pace
of 12 mph.

“It is great exercise for me and our other drivers and a fun
experience for our passengers,” says Palmer.  “Our colorful bikes and
friendly service add tremendously to the Ocean Isle Beach vacation
experience.  We aim to enhance the amenities and businesses on our
island with this cab service.”

Tourists in San Diego, Charleston, and Key West ride from restaurants,
bars, and hot spots in pedicabs and appreciate being able to avoid
crowded parking lots, drinking and driving, and noise.

“Although pedicabs are a new concept on Ocean Isle Beach, they have
actually been around in larger U.S. cities for many years,” said Dan
Werner, director of sales and marketing for Main Street Pedicabs, the
largest manufacturer of pedicabs in the United States.  Main Street is
the maker of the equipment used by Coastal Bike Cabs.

“Pedicabs started out in larger cities like New York, San Diego, and
Austin,” Werner said. “It’s only over the past several years that they
have really taken off in smaller areas.”

But pedicabs can be more than just a novel way for visitors to tour
communities.  Property Owners enjoy the convenience of a bicycle taxi
and the friendliness of the drivers.

“We are finding more and more that they provide a nice way for people
who are physically challenged or have trouble walking to enjoy the
outdoors in a way that a traditional taxi does not,” Werner said. “You
can really enjoy the scenery — see the birds — and feel the fresh
beach air and sunshine.”

“More than that,” Palmer says, “pedicabs operators will serve as
ambassadors to Ocean Isle Beach and will help promote restaurants,
stores, and services in the area.  We want to promote the community
and let visitors know about our history.”

Palmer envisions taking a lot of people to the Museum of Coastal
Carolina for the exhibits and for the free concerts on Fridays and
back and forth from bars and restaurants and to public beach access
areas.

“Our bike cabs will stay on the island,” she said. “I want people to
enjoy their stay here at Ocean Isle Beach and not worry about getting
picked up for driving under the influence.  They can just eat, drink,
and be merry.”

Coastal Bike Cabs will be available at island events, parades, and
festivals, as well as maintain a regular presence around Ocean Isle
Beach.  Passengers can hail a Bike Cab or call or email for a
reservation.

Palmer intends to operate both day and night throughout the summer
season and on weekends, holidays, and special events after Labor Day.
Coastal Bike Cabs starts offering services this week, generally from
9:00am to 3:00am daily.  The business’ grand opening is scheduled for
late June.

“I am really happy to hear that there is more bicycle-based
transportation at OIB,” resident and property owner Effie Vandoros
comments.  “It’s really a unique way to experience the community, and
I think it adds to the ambiance of our island.”

Groundskeeper Mike Griffith is among the one-quarter of Davis campus employees who bicycle to work. But Griffith takes it a step farther. Actually, he keeps on pedaling — after switching from his commute bike to his work bike.

Not just any old bike, but a professional-grade three-wheeler with heavy suspension, 21 gears and hydraulically operated rear disk brakes — and a custom-made cargo bed to haul his work gear, or loads of dirt and mulch.

“This is UC Davis-friendly,” said Griffith, whose 20-year career with Buildings and Grounds puts him smack-dab in the middle of a sea of bicycles every day as he rakes and prunes and sprays.

In switching to the work bike, Griffith voluntarily gave up his gas-powered cart — the ultimate in environmentally friendly gestures.“This is in line with the campus philosophy,” Griffith said. In fact, the campus sustainability committee awarded a $2,145 grant to help buy what Griffith calls a “human powered utility vehicle.”

Buildings and Grounds, Transportation and Parking Services, and Fleet Services also contributed to the purchase price. The total cost (not counting lock, brake lights and a bell, courtesy of the Bike Barn): $3,432, compared with $5,000 to $7,000 for a new power cart.

It was all Griffith’s idea. The UC Davis graduate — he earned a bachelor’s degree in managerial economics while going to school part-time and holding down his grounds keeping job — co-wrote the grant application, researched and test-drove the various work bikes on the market, and made the purchase.

“Mike is incredibly motivated about this,” said Cary Avery, grounds superintendent with Buildings and Grounds. “We are very proud of him.”

The bike arrived on March 4, and, so far, so good, Griffith said. “This bike will do all of the work that the other carts will do,” he said. The bike fits around all the bollards and gates that keep cars and trucks off various paths around campus, and the cargo bed can carry 600 pounds.

The bed is built on the same chassis that the Broomfield, Colo., manufacturer uses for its pedicabs. For the UC Davis bike, Main Street Pedicabs painted the bike and bed in Aggie blue, and affixed the Buildings and Grounds logo on both sides of the bed.

At Griffith’s request, the manufacturer cut down the sides of the bed to 16 inches, providing easier access. The bed also features a drop-down gate.

Griffith spoke with Dateline one afternoon last week while transferring a load of mulch from the cargo bed to a planter outside the west entry garage.

His duties also include trash pickup in the six-story garage — and that means pedaling up the ramps. “It’s a little more effort, but it’s not that bad,” he said. “This keeps me in shape for basketball.”

The work bike is also easy on his ears. “That’s the first thing I noticed — no noise,” he said.

“Also notable is the reduction in air pollution and natural resource consumption,” he wrote in a follow-up letter to the sustainability committee. “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.”

Griffith recalled that when he started with the grounds division in 1988, he used a handcart to haul his work gear, and some of his colleagues used wheelbarrows. The gas-powered and electric carts came later.

“Some people might think this is a step back,” he said. “But once you get on this, it’s not that hard.”

Griffith said he is getting a lot of positive comments from his co-workers — “a lot of thumbs-up” — and he hopes other departments take notice and consider acquiring work bikes if appropriate.

“It’s absolutely a step forward,” he said. “It’s not just about what it’s doing for the environment, but what it’s doing for my department’s budget.”

And maybe for the campus budget as a whole. Indeed, Griffith said, as he made progress on turning his work bike idea into reality, what began as an individual effort turned into a campus community project, “because of the number of people who freely offered their expertise and support to make this happen.”

“They deserve credit as well. I truly appreciate their help.”

Like many students on St. Patrick’s Day, senior Brendan Blume was up all night splitting time between Brown Street and the student neighborhoods. But unlike anyone else, instead of walking it, he was flagging pedestrians down asking if they wanted to ride on the back of his bike.

As a co-owner of Blume Brothers Pedicab, based in Chicago and less than a year old, Blume brought the pedicab to campus in March. He works Thursdays to Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., when he’s not on duty as an RA in Stuart. It’s just him and a 21-gear bicycle with a carriage-like seat attached.

“When (passengers) get on it they think they’re kings of the world,” Blume said. Entire parties turn and cheer when they see his bike and passengers go by. “It’s like chariots of fire.”Blume, 21, started the business with his 24-year-old brother last summer because neither had a job. Instead of continuing their job search, they looked into buying a pedicab bicycle, of which there are only about 50 in Chicago.

“It was a turning point in my life,” Blume said. “We said, ‘Let’s do something new, something clean’.”

They were attracted to the idea because it could fill transportation needs in an environmentally friendly way. They also liked the idea of being their own boss.

“We started a snow shoveling business when we were young, we’ve always been entrepreneurs,” Blume said. “We were both home schooled so we have the drive inside of us. We don’t need to have a teacher telling us what to do.”

On the suggestion of their father, also an entrepreneur, the brothers signed a notarized agreement about the business. They bought insurance and a bike with operating break lights and turn signals in the dark.

Their goal was to make the 81 home games for the Chicago Cubs and hit as many Chicago White Sox games as they could. Both being water polo players and feeling fit, the Blumes weren’t ready for what pulling around the weight of two or three people does to a person’s body.

“The first week it was so hard because it is a strain on your body, no matter how in shape you are,” Blume said. They decided not to stick to their original plan of riding every day.

The brothers did work enough to increase their business by three bikes and hired more riders in Chicago. Their goal for this summer is to double their business. Though they do not have set ride prices, it’s usually never more than $10 for all riders combined.

They work when most students would be out with friends, like New Year’s Eve, but Blume said as he pedals he forgets he’s working.

“You won’t look at it as a job. You’re riding and you’re having a conversation with the passengers.”

While the partners do face some problems with the economy, like having difficulty obtaining loans, Blume said he brought the business to Dayton hoping to help students’ economic troubles improve.

“With the state the economy is in, we want to create jobs,” Blume said. “We can give students rides while creating jobs for them.”

Blume will be riding around campus until next December, when he plans to graduate with an accounting degree. He’s looking for employees for the business so it can continue when he moves back to Chicago.

“I’m going to ride full-time until I stop having fun, which won’t happen.”

Jennie Szink

News Editor

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.

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.

The pedicab mainly ferries people among nightspots in downtown Modesto. It also serves the neighborhoods near Graceada Park and the Modesto Junior College East Campus.

The 21-gear vehicle was made by Colorado-based Main Street Pedicabs. It has a detachable top that can be used when it’s wet. The pedicab holds three adult passengers or two adults and two small children.

The lowest fare is $5 per trip between any two destinations in the downtown core. For $20, passengers can ride from a restaurant to the Gallo Center for the Arts, then to their car after the show.

The most popular package is the four-hour “pub crawl,” costing $155. The pedicab also can be hired for weddings in Stanislaus County — $420 for four hours of service — and for customized events.

The Elliotts run the business in addition to holding down their day jobs with AT&T. Matt, 34, is a lineman, and Natasha, 33, is an engineer who hires contractors for the company.

They have a son, 5-year-old Beau, and a daughter, 3-year-old Piper.

On a typical night, Natasha Elliott operates the pedicab from 6 to 10 p.m. Her husband, a former semipro bicyclist, takes over from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m.

The pedicab weighs about 200 pounds without people on board, but the flat Modesto terrain makes the going fairly easy.

“You’re very invigorated when you’re done,” said Natasha Elliott, who had bicycled for leisure before operating the pedicab.

Pedicabs are in use in many cities, including San Francisco and Sacramento. They provide pollution-free transportation while helping keep drinkers from driving.

The Elliotts did not need a special license for the pedicab because it is not a motor vehicle, but they did get safety advice from the Modesto Police Department.

Tresetti’s World Caffe on 11th Street is among the restaurants that have spread the word about the service.

“It’s kind of like the feel of riding the (horse-drawn) carriages in Central Park, on a much smaller scale,” restaurant co-owner Mitch Maisetti said. “If they can make people happy and cruise them around in this weather, imagine what they can do when it’s summer.”

The service area could expand in the future if the business catches on, Natasha Elliott said.

“The downtown clientele, the evening crowd, has been amazing,” she said. “They’ve been glad to see us out and about.”

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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