Pedicab offers easy way around the downtown

From Modbee.com

By John Holland
jholland@modbee.com

last updated: January 07, 2009 07:51:44 AM
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, made by a Colorado company, cost about $6,000 to buy and equip. 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."

CATCH A RIDE

• Downtown Peddlers can be reached at 918-8918 or downtown-peddlers@pacbell.net. More information is at www.myspace.com/downtownpeddlers.

• The basic fare is $5 for a ride between two locations in the area bounded by H, K, Ninth and 16th streets in downtown Modesto; no reservations are needed.

• Special packages at higher rates can be booked in advance. They include multistop trips in and just north of downtown, as well as weddings anywhere in Stanislaus County.

Bee staff writer John Holland can be reached at jholland@modbee.com or 578-2385.