by Daniel DeBolt
The latest form of transit in downtown Mountain View may be low-tech, but it also seems a perfect fit for these modern times, being easy on both the environment and the pocketbook.
A company calling itself KwickCart has started operating two pedal-powered taxis, or pedicabs, around the downtown area on weekend evenings, taking people to and from their homes, businesses and the downtown train station. Passengers pay nothing but a tip, which drivers solely rely on for their wages.
The company makes its money by displaying advertising on each of its three-wheeled cabs, which can hold two passengers -- three if they're small.
Last weekend, KwickCart began a weekly service between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights in which two pedicabs operate downtown simultaneously. Before launching the regular service, the company tested the waters during the city's Art and Wine Festival and Thursday Night Live events held downtown last year.
So far it is hard to tell how much demand there is, but founder and president Caanan Meagher said that "We expect Mountain View will be one of our busiest cities." The company already operates pedicabs in Campbell and Los Gatos.
"The most common thing so far is people want a ride to or from their house," Meagher said. "People that live maybe five blocks away -- maybe they live on Calderon and want a ride to Castro call us up to get a ride."
Meagher said his "environmentally friendly" business is trying to become certified by the county as a green business. There isn't much room to improve in this regard, but he said "We need to make sure we're printing on both sides of our paper."
To arrange a ride in a KwickCart pedicab, call (408) 858-2278. The company has a Web site at www.kwickcart.com, as well as a Facebook page.
Tuesday, January 19
City Hopes Project Will Keep Cruise Ship Industry Afloat
by 10News.com
SAN DIEGO -- Tourists hitting the high seas pump $500 million into San Diego's economy every year, but in 2009 San Diego's cruise ship industry took a hit.
Business owners said sales increase 30 percent when a cruise ship unloads thousands of passengers. The Port of San Diego said one cruise ship puts about $2 million into the local economy every time it docks.
Vendors along the Embarcadero said they noticed a dip this year, and some told 10News they depend heavily on the foot traffic generated by the people getting off and on the cruise ships.
The owners of Destinations in Seaport Village told 10News they see a 30 percent jump in sales whenever a ship is in port. "It's always extremely busy, super crowded," said Destinations salesperson Melissa Cena.
Some pedicabs focus all of their business in the cruise ship docking area. One pedicab can take home $150 off one cruise ship.
"I'd say 90 percent of the business that I do is from the cruise ship," said pedicab driver Roy Grant.
Grant said he never leaves the Embarcadero when ships are in.
In 2008, 279 cruise ships dropped off 991,000 passengers on the Embarcadero. But in 2009, only 224 ships came in and unloaded 813,000 people.
"And that has to do with competition. It has to do with our construction. It has to do with market trends," said Jackie Williams of the Port of San Diego.
Those market trends said fewer people were interested in going to Mexico, which is San Diego's primary cruise ship destination.
To boost traffic, the Port of San Diego is building a temporary terminal next to the current B Street terminal. Once completed, B Street will be torn down and a new one built in its place. When both are completed, up to three cruise ships could dock in the area at one time.
The project could be a big boost to businesses and San Diego.
SAN DIEGO -- Tourists hitting the high seas pump $500 million into San Diego's economy every year, but in 2009 San Diego's cruise ship industry took a hit.
Business owners said sales increase 30 percent when a cruise ship unloads thousands of passengers. The Port of San Diego said one cruise ship puts about $2 million into the local economy every time it docks.
Vendors along the Embarcadero said they noticed a dip this year, and some told 10News they depend heavily on the foot traffic generated by the people getting off and on the cruise ships.
The owners of Destinations in Seaport Village told 10News they see a 30 percent jump in sales whenever a ship is in port. "It's always extremely busy, super crowded," said Destinations salesperson Melissa Cena.
Some pedicabs focus all of their business in the cruise ship docking area. One pedicab can take home $150 off one cruise ship.
"I'd say 90 percent of the business that I do is from the cruise ship," said pedicab driver Roy Grant.
Grant said he never leaves the Embarcadero when ships are in.
In 2008, 279 cruise ships dropped off 991,000 passengers on the Embarcadero. But in 2009, only 224 ships came in and unloaded 813,000 people.
"And that has to do with competition. It has to do with our construction. It has to do with market trends," said Jackie Williams of the Port of San Diego.
Those market trends said fewer people were interested in going to Mexico, which is San Diego's primary cruise ship destination.
To boost traffic, the Port of San Diego is building a temporary terminal next to the current B Street terminal. Once completed, B Street will be torn down and a new one built in its place. When both are completed, up to three cruise ships could dock in the area at one time.
The project could be a big boost to businesses and San Diego.
A Bitter Holiday for Pedicabs
By J. DAVID GOODMAN
Nuriddin Shamsiev abandoned his usual spot in Central Park on Monday and pedaled his way down Fifth Avenue to search among the throngs spilling into the streets around Rockefeller Center. Despite the sun, it was shaping up to be another tough day — only one customer in four hours — in what has been a season of tough days for the city’s pedicab industry.
Mr. Shamsiev, a 24-year-old Tajik driver, summed up the situation in two words: “Very bad.”
“Last Christmas was much better,” he added. “But the business went down — you don’t make the same money.”
The economic crisis, a series of wet weekends and new regulations requiring licenses for pedicab drivers have created a perfect storm of misery in New York’s pedicab industry, which depends on the holidays to get through the slow winter months. This year, owners and drivers report, the slow season has come early, with potentially dire consequences for some operators.
“I have no drivers left — at all,” said Ari Nichols, owner of Manhattan Pedicabs. He said he had been undercut on rental rates by other operators in a fierce competition for those few licensed drivers. “There’s three bikes for each driver,” he said. Mr. Nichols is trying to sell some of his pedicabs in order to “hang on one more season,” but said it “would have to be a miracle for me” to make it to the summer.
Many owners blamed the licensing requirement, which went into effect before Thanksgiving and requires pedicab operators to obtain both a driver’s license and a special pedicab license. The regulation has put in a crimp in the number of “shotgun” riders who want to start driving right away — perhaps the intent of the regulation — and has also been a problem for many veteran drivers, said Gregg Zukowski, president of New York City Pedicab Owners Association. Some of these veterans had outstanding fines or other issues with their driver’s licenses that had to be taken care of before they could obtain a pedicab license.
A driver searches for customers on Fifth Avenue near Rockefeller Center.
“The impact of the regulation has been brutal,” said Mr. Zukowski, who is also the owner of Revolution Rickshaws and a driver himself. “We always face a dry season in the winter, but this year, we’ve lost the whole holiday season.” Normally his 18 pedicabs would all be rented during the weeks before Christmas and New Year’s. But this month, only two or three have been rented by drivers on a given day.
License plates have been issued for 889 pedicabs and 474 drivers have applied for licenses, according to the Department of Consumer Affairs. The number of licensed businesses with at least one pedicab is 172 and the department is no longer accepting new applications. There is no cap on the number of pedicab driver’s licenses.
Like others, Mr. Zukowski has lowered the rental rates, but to little effect. “The whole industry has been thrown for a curve,” he said, adding that the only way his business can survive is by refocusing on rickshaw van rentals and deliveries.
There are simply not enough licensed drivers, he said, adding, “The only people who are doing okay are the solo-owner-operators.”
But tell that to Mark Stringer, 44, a seven-year veteran driver whose pedicab is his only source of income. “Normally Christmas builds, gets busier and busier and busier,” he said. But this year it’s been less reliable.
“Me and me buddy, we go out, and one day, I’d be O.K., and he’d have $32. Another day, he’d be fine and I’d have like $27,” Mr. Stringer said. “It was almost like there’s not enough money for everybody out there.”
Nuriddin Shamsiev abandoned his usual spot in Central Park on Monday and pedaled his way down Fifth Avenue to search among the throngs spilling into the streets around Rockefeller Center. Despite the sun, it was shaping up to be another tough day — only one customer in four hours — in what has been a season of tough days for the city’s pedicab industry.
Mr. Shamsiev, a 24-year-old Tajik driver, summed up the situation in two words: “Very bad.”
“Last Christmas was much better,” he added. “But the business went down — you don’t make the same money.”
The economic crisis, a series of wet weekends and new regulations requiring licenses for pedicab drivers have created a perfect storm of misery in New York’s pedicab industry, which depends on the holidays to get through the slow winter months. This year, owners and drivers report, the slow season has come early, with potentially dire consequences for some operators.
“I have no drivers left — at all,” said Ari Nichols, owner of Manhattan Pedicabs. He said he had been undercut on rental rates by other operators in a fierce competition for those few licensed drivers. “There’s three bikes for each driver,” he said. Mr. Nichols is trying to sell some of his pedicabs in order to “hang on one more season,” but said it “would have to be a miracle for me” to make it to the summer.
Many owners blamed the licensing requirement, which went into effect before Thanksgiving and requires pedicab operators to obtain both a driver’s license and a special pedicab license. The regulation has put in a crimp in the number of “shotgun” riders who want to start driving right away — perhaps the intent of the regulation — and has also been a problem for many veteran drivers, said Gregg Zukowski, president of New York City Pedicab Owners Association. Some of these veterans had outstanding fines or other issues with their driver’s licenses that had to be taken care of before they could obtain a pedicab license.
A driver searches for customers on Fifth Avenue near Rockefeller Center.
“The impact of the regulation has been brutal,” said Mr. Zukowski, who is also the owner of Revolution Rickshaws and a driver himself. “We always face a dry season in the winter, but this year, we’ve lost the whole holiday season.” Normally his 18 pedicabs would all be rented during the weeks before Christmas and New Year’s. But this month, only two or three have been rented by drivers on a given day.
License plates have been issued for 889 pedicabs and 474 drivers have applied for licenses, according to the Department of Consumer Affairs. The number of licensed businesses with at least one pedicab is 172 and the department is no longer accepting new applications. There is no cap on the number of pedicab driver’s licenses.
Like others, Mr. Zukowski has lowered the rental rates, but to little effect. “The whole industry has been thrown for a curve,” he said, adding that the only way his business can survive is by refocusing on rickshaw van rentals and deliveries.
There are simply not enough licensed drivers, he said, adding, “The only people who are doing okay are the solo-owner-operators.”
But tell that to Mark Stringer, 44, a seven-year veteran driver whose pedicab is his only source of income. “Normally Christmas builds, gets busier and busier and busier,” he said. But this year it’s been less reliable.
“Me and me buddy, we go out, and one day, I’d be O.K., and he’d have $32. Another day, he’d be fine and I’d have like $27,” Mr. Stringer said. “It was almost like there’s not enough money for everybody out there.”
Rickshaws Pedal Their Way Into Oak Cliff
By SUSY SOLIS
North Oak Cliff has several pockets of retail and restaurant districts and business owners hope pedicabs will connect customers in a safe and cost effective way.
"We want to have a solution for getting people to the different businesses that are going to be popping up down here, so we want to help the economic growth, but we don't want to start plugging concrete parking lots everywhere," said Matt Spiller, owner of Eno's Pizza Tavern.
Spiller wants to start the pedicab operation by spring and has the support of the city of Dallas.
"We needed to move people around the Bishop Arts area," said Delia Jasso, a Dallas City Council member who serves that area of town. "We started talking about what a route might look like to bring people from Jefferson to Bishops Arts and vice versa and then we realized there are a lot of new restaurants on Davis."
Business owners said pedicabs would allow customers to see more of North Oak Cliff and therefore, spend more.
A pedicab service would also help alleviate parking problems. One thing Spiller does not want to do is allow parking problems to bleed into the residential neighborhoods nearby.
"What you could do is park farther away and then ride a pedicab over here because I think once they're in this district, they are going to want to walk from store to store, but to get to here, it would be nice to have a pedicab," said Jan Steiner, who parked several block away from her destination.
Pedicab operators have to get business permits, licenses and insurance before they are allowed to operate, according the City of Dallas Transportation Department.
The pedicab drivers work for tips and will be given a background check before they are hired. The service would be available only on the Bishop Arts District's busiest nights or when special events take place.
A proposed route would cover about a 1.5 square mile area.
"It should be going down Davis, over to Zang and then Zang to Bishop and down to Colorado and up to Jefferson," Spiller said.
Spiller said he will start with a fleet of three to five pedicabs and see what the response is like before expanding.
North Oak Cliff has several pockets of retail and restaurant districts and business owners hope pedicabs will connect customers in a safe and cost effective way.
"We want to have a solution for getting people to the different businesses that are going to be popping up down here, so we want to help the economic growth, but we don't want to start plugging concrete parking lots everywhere," said Matt Spiller, owner of Eno's Pizza Tavern.
Spiller wants to start the pedicab operation by spring and has the support of the city of Dallas.
"We needed to move people around the Bishop Arts area," said Delia Jasso, a Dallas City Council member who serves that area of town. "We started talking about what a route might look like to bring people from Jefferson to Bishops Arts and vice versa and then we realized there are a lot of new restaurants on Davis."
Business owners said pedicabs would allow customers to see more of North Oak Cliff and therefore, spend more.
A pedicab service would also help alleviate parking problems. One thing Spiller does not want to do is allow parking problems to bleed into the residential neighborhoods nearby.
"What you could do is park farther away and then ride a pedicab over here because I think once they're in this district, they are going to want to walk from store to store, but to get to here, it would be nice to have a pedicab," said Jan Steiner, who parked several block away from her destination.
Pedicab operators have to get business permits, licenses and insurance before they are allowed to operate, according the City of Dallas Transportation Department.
The pedicab drivers work for tips and will be given a background check before they are hired. The service would be available only on the Bishop Arts District's busiest nights or when special events take place.
A proposed route would cover about a 1.5 square mile area.
"It should be going down Davis, over to Zang and then Zang to Bishop and down to Colorado and up to Jefferson," Spiller said.
Spiller said he will start with a fleet of three to five pedicabs and see what the response is like before expanding.
Police Begin Pedicab License Enforcement
Police this weekend began pulling over pedicab drivers to see if they and their vehicles are licensed.
Police on Saturday set up a checkpoint in Times Square to see which pedicab drivers are in compliance with new regulations.
Friday was the deadline for operators to apply for medallions.
The medallions signify the pedicabs have been inspected, are safe, and have posted rate cards.
Police say 943 pedicabs were registered before Friday's deadline.
So far, more than 300 drivers have applied for licenses.
Police on Saturday set up a checkpoint in Times Square to see which pedicab drivers are in compliance with new regulations.
Friday was the deadline for operators to apply for medallions.
The medallions signify the pedicabs have been inspected, are safe, and have posted rate cards.
Police say 943 pedicabs were registered before Friday's deadline.
So far, more than 300 drivers have applied for licenses.
New York City Cracks Down on Pedicabs
As authorities begin strongly enforcing rules for pedicabs operating in the city of New York, personal injury lawyers like David Perecman are supportive of the effort.
New York (PRWEB) December 8, 2009 -- The streets of Manhattan are now safer according to New York City personal injury lawyer David Perecman, making reference to the city's crackdown on unlicensed pedicabs.
"The fact that there were so many operators driving with no accountability on safety issues and without insurance made the city more unsafe. Few would know that better than a New York personal injury lawyer," said Perecman, who has had a law firm in Manhattan for over 30 years.
Before the crackdown, up to 1,000 pedicabs were on the streets at one time. To regulate the industry, the city added rules that require pedicab drivers to have headlights, seat belts and working brakes. Prices must also be displayed.
There have been no known fatal pedicab accidents in Manhattan, but passengers and drivers have been injured in collisions with cars, taxis, and buses.
"Thankfully the city is not waiting for a fatal accident to occur before they really enforce the rules. I believe I speak for many New York personal injury lawyers when I say that," said Perecman.
About David Perecman and The Perecman Firm, PLLC:
For the past 30 years, the New York personal injury lawyers, auto accident, construction accident, and medical malpractice lawyers at The Perecman Firm, PLLC have championed all types of cases for personal injury accidents. David Perecman, founder of the Firm, is a Board Director and the past Secretary and Treasurer of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA) and a chair of its Labor Law Committee. Mr. Perecman's achievements have brought him recognition as an Honoree in the National Law Journal's Hall of Fame, in New York Magazine's "The Best Lawyers in America" and The New York Times Magazine "New York Super Lawyers, Metro Edition" for the years 2007-2010.
The Firm has recovered millions of dollars for its clients. Among the more recent victories, Mr. Perecman won a $15 million verdict* for a construction accident, a $5.35 million dollar verdict** for an automobile accident, and a $40 million dollar structured settlement for medical malpractice.
*later settled while on appeal for $7.940 million ** later settled for $3.5 million "Lawyer Advertising" "Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome."
###
New York (PRWEB) December 8, 2009 -- The streets of Manhattan are now safer according to New York City personal injury lawyer David Perecman, making reference to the city's crackdown on unlicensed pedicabs.
"The fact that there were so many operators driving with no accountability on safety issues and without insurance made the city more unsafe. Few would know that better than a New York personal injury lawyer," said Perecman, who has had a law firm in Manhattan for over 30 years.
Before the crackdown, up to 1,000 pedicabs were on the streets at one time. To regulate the industry, the city added rules that require pedicab drivers to have headlights, seat belts and working brakes. Prices must also be displayed.
There have been no known fatal pedicab accidents in Manhattan, but passengers and drivers have been injured in collisions with cars, taxis, and buses.
"Thankfully the city is not waiting for a fatal accident to occur before they really enforce the rules. I believe I speak for many New York personal injury lawyers when I say that," said Perecman.
About David Perecman and The Perecman Firm, PLLC:
For the past 30 years, the New York personal injury lawyers, auto accident, construction accident, and medical malpractice lawyers at The Perecman Firm, PLLC have championed all types of cases for personal injury accidents. David Perecman, founder of the Firm, is a Board Director and the past Secretary and Treasurer of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA) and a chair of its Labor Law Committee. Mr. Perecman's achievements have brought him recognition as an Honoree in the National Law Journal's Hall of Fame, in New York Magazine's "The Best Lawyers in America" and The New York Times Magazine "New York Super Lawyers, Metro Edition" for the years 2007-2010.
The Firm has recovered millions of dollars for its clients. Among the more recent victories, Mr. Perecman won a $15 million verdict* for a construction accident, a $5.35 million dollar verdict** for an automobile accident, and a $40 million dollar structured settlement for medical malpractice.
*later settled while on appeal for $7.940 million ** later settled for $3.5 million "Lawyer Advertising" "Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome."
###
Austin gets ready for cold weather
by By JIM BERGAMO/KVUE News
Posted on December 4, 2009 at 9:45 PM
Updated Friday, Dec 4 at 10:26 PM
******
Despite those very chilly temperatures, some people in Central Texas are spending tonight outside.
The people we talked to from Austin to Cedar Park weren't about to let the threat of freezing temperatures keep them from having fun or going to work, and none of tonight's outdoor events that we covered had to cancel because of the weather.
Since Friday's real snow didn't stick around long enough, the evergreens at the Mueller development were covered in the phony white stuff. This snow may have been fake, but the threat of a hard freeze is very real. And that is just fine with the Hagler family.
"We have plenty of hot weather in Texas so I look forward to all the cold weather we can get," said Glenn Hagler from Austin.
Melissa Steiner is used to the cold.
"It is something I have always dealt with in Michigan but it keeps you moving, keeps you going," Steiner said.
Folks in Cedar Park didn't have to light a fireplace at home, because there was already a pretty good fire working in the old pit. The fire warmed their bodies and the annual tree lighting warmed their hearts.
"We have been residents of Cedar Park for 13 years and I told the family hey lets go out and do something different on a Friday evening and so here we are," Janice Auld said.
For others, a Friday night near freezing was no different than any other Friday night - its simply time to go to work. Scott Cannon is a pedicab driver for Capital Pedicab.
"This is the first ah, first cold weekend of the year and it seems like it is really taking the customers by surprise, it is really dead out here so far," Cannon said.
Leave it to some KISS fans from Florida to come prepared for the cold weather and a hot time -- each sporting a ski mask in the likeness of their favorite KISS band member.
"We flew in from Orlando last night, it was 80 degrees when we left and we heard there was going to be snow here tonight but we're here for the show, it's going to be a hot show," said Brad McMahen.
So just how cold is it? Well it is cold enough to keep a duck on dry land. Only four people showed up for the Duck Tour today -- we're told they need at least 10 passengers before the land and water tour can take off.
Posted on December 4, 2009 at 9:45 PM
Updated Friday, Dec 4 at 10:26 PM
******
Despite those very chilly temperatures, some people in Central Texas are spending tonight outside.
The people we talked to from Austin to Cedar Park weren't about to let the threat of freezing temperatures keep them from having fun or going to work, and none of tonight's outdoor events that we covered had to cancel because of the weather.
Since Friday's real snow didn't stick around long enough, the evergreens at the Mueller development were covered in the phony white stuff. This snow may have been fake, but the threat of a hard freeze is very real. And that is just fine with the Hagler family.
"We have plenty of hot weather in Texas so I look forward to all the cold weather we can get," said Glenn Hagler from Austin.
Melissa Steiner is used to the cold.
"It is something I have always dealt with in Michigan but it keeps you moving, keeps you going," Steiner said.
Folks in Cedar Park didn't have to light a fireplace at home, because there was already a pretty good fire working in the old pit. The fire warmed their bodies and the annual tree lighting warmed their hearts.
"We have been residents of Cedar Park for 13 years and I told the family hey lets go out and do something different on a Friday evening and so here we are," Janice Auld said.
For others, a Friday night near freezing was no different than any other Friday night - its simply time to go to work. Scott Cannon is a pedicab driver for Capital Pedicab.
"This is the first ah, first cold weekend of the year and it seems like it is really taking the customers by surprise, it is really dead out here so far," Cannon said.
Leave it to some KISS fans from Florida to come prepared for the cold weather and a hot time -- each sporting a ski mask in the likeness of their favorite KISS band member.
"We flew in from Orlando last night, it was 80 degrees when we left and we heard there was going to be snow here tonight but we're here for the show, it's going to be a hot show," said Brad McMahen.
So just how cold is it? Well it is cold enough to keep a duck on dry land. Only four people showed up for the Duck Tour today -- we're told they need at least 10 passengers before the land and water tour can take off.
Pedicabs Will Now Be Inspected and Licensed
By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM
Published: November 20, 2009
New York City’s pedicab business, by most accounts, began on an East Village side street circa 1995, as a close-knit collective of tricyclists squeezed into a garage next door to the Hells Angels. Tap dancers, undertakers and striptease artists were among the first drivers.
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Memet Emin Ozgan repairing pedicabs at Zenk Pedicab on West 57th Street.
From these bohemian beginnings came an unlikely pairing: green transportation and unbridled capitalism, a pollution-free way around town that, in good times, earned its proprietors upward of $1,000 a week.
But as the business grew, so did its troubles. Hundreds of new bike operators arrived, pestering tourists and testing the city’s tolerance. Pedicab owners, alarmed at lax safety standards, began a push for regulation — an effort that stretched for years, encompassing a rare mayoral veto in 2007 and a protracted court battle that ended only last spring.
Now, the upstart enterprise has officially become a profession. Citywide regulation went into effect this weekend. Under the new rules, pedicabs must be insured and inspected for safety. Headlights, seat belts and hydraulic brakes are required. Drivers must be licensed, and prices clearly displayed. Infractions will result in warnings, suspensions and, for repeat offenses, an outright ban.
“We’re going from something that was born in a dusty downtown garage, completely out of grass-roots activism, into a commercial, regulated activity,” said Peter Meitzler, who ran one of the early fleets. “12:01 Saturday, we’re in a new era.”
Regulation is a milestone for a business that has long yearned for respect, yet some owners and drivers worry that the rules could go too far. Rumors abound that the city will ban pedicabs from Midtown, hurting sales. And drivers fear overzealous police enforcement.
But many longtime pedicab workers recognize that the business has changed, and that they must change with it.
“We grow, we get older, we’re changing. Life is different,” said Igor Krugov, 24, a student who started driving a pedicab in 2005 and now rents out four. Initially attracted to the glamorous side — meeting celebrities, flying down to work the Super Bowl, giving free rides to pretty girls — Mr. Krugov now says the rules will make the business more legitimate.
“Now we are officially a part of the city,” he said the other day, pointing to an official rate card freshly affixed to a bike. (Not all of that do-it-yourself quality has been lost: the prices were printed on computer paper.) The new rules, however, could put a damper on the easygoing mentality that let out-of-work artists and amateur bike nerds get paid to do what they loved. In the off-season, some drivers spent their earnings on vacations to London, Brazil and Mexico that lasted for months.
In 2000, Ricardo Hernandez, a musician, needed $800 to pay his rent in Bushwick, Brooklyn. He answered an ad in the Village Voice seeking pedicab drivers; in his first week, he made $900. “We were like troubadours,” Mr. Hernandez recalled recently at a pedicab garage on 57th Street. “We all knew each other. You’d go back to the garage and gather and talk about your day.”
“Now there’s a lot of normal people, just average people,” he said. “Now it’s an average job. It’s lost its charm.” Mr. Hernandez registered for his license this week; he said he hoped that the new rules would make customers and police officers consider pedicabs a safer form of transit. “They’re going to have to respect us,” he said. “We’re not anonymous anymore.”
In June, a pedicab driver and two passengers were injured in a collision with a taxi at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn, prompting a renewed effort by the city to regulate. Fleet owners like Cevdet Kiziltan, who owns 30 cabs, said accountability would keep reckless players out of the profession. He said he missed the days when customers were friendlier and the business looked out for its own.
As of Friday morning, the city had received applications from 303 drivers and 150 businesses, for a total of 844 individual pedicabs.
Officials said they were disappointed that many waited until the last minute. “This industry is taking a journey toward professionalizing itself,” said Jonathan Mintz, the commissioner of consumer affairs. “It’s going to be a long journey.”
George Bliss, 56, started the original garage on East Third Street; at first, he thought pedicabs would be a popular way for clubgoers to migrate crosstown on weekend nights. Nowadays, he is more ambivalent.
“Even some of my most cherished drivers didn’t care whether they had liability insurance or not,” he said disgustedly. “The attitude was, ‘Go ahead and sue me, I don’t have any assets.’ ” But he admitted to some nostalgia.
“Those are the glory days of my life,” he said. “People would just tell me: ‘I love this job. You have given me the best job of my life.’ ”
Plus, there are the health benefits.
“Pulling two Texan tourists, that’s 400 pounds you have in the back, plus the cab is 150 pounds,” Mr. Bliss said. “I had many people take that job to lose weight.”
Published: November 20, 2009
New York City’s pedicab business, by most accounts, began on an East Village side street circa 1995, as a close-knit collective of tricyclists squeezed into a garage next door to the Hells Angels. Tap dancers, undertakers and striptease artists were among the first drivers.
Skip to next paragraph
Readers’ Opinions
Comment Post a Comment on City Room
Enlarge This Image
Julie Glassberg/The New York Times
Memet Emin Ozgan repairing pedicabs at Zenk Pedicab on West 57th Street.
From these bohemian beginnings came an unlikely pairing: green transportation and unbridled capitalism, a pollution-free way around town that, in good times, earned its proprietors upward of $1,000 a week.
But as the business grew, so did its troubles. Hundreds of new bike operators arrived, pestering tourists and testing the city’s tolerance. Pedicab owners, alarmed at lax safety standards, began a push for regulation — an effort that stretched for years, encompassing a rare mayoral veto in 2007 and a protracted court battle that ended only last spring.
Now, the upstart enterprise has officially become a profession. Citywide regulation went into effect this weekend. Under the new rules, pedicabs must be insured and inspected for safety. Headlights, seat belts and hydraulic brakes are required. Drivers must be licensed, and prices clearly displayed. Infractions will result in warnings, suspensions and, for repeat offenses, an outright ban.
“We’re going from something that was born in a dusty downtown garage, completely out of grass-roots activism, into a commercial, regulated activity,” said Peter Meitzler, who ran one of the early fleets. “12:01 Saturday, we’re in a new era.”
Regulation is a milestone for a business that has long yearned for respect, yet some owners and drivers worry that the rules could go too far. Rumors abound that the city will ban pedicabs from Midtown, hurting sales. And drivers fear overzealous police enforcement.
But many longtime pedicab workers recognize that the business has changed, and that they must change with it.
“We grow, we get older, we’re changing. Life is different,” said Igor Krugov, 24, a student who started driving a pedicab in 2005 and now rents out four. Initially attracted to the glamorous side — meeting celebrities, flying down to work the Super Bowl, giving free rides to pretty girls — Mr. Krugov now says the rules will make the business more legitimate.
“Now we are officially a part of the city,” he said the other day, pointing to an official rate card freshly affixed to a bike. (Not all of that do-it-yourself quality has been lost: the prices were printed on computer paper.) The new rules, however, could put a damper on the easygoing mentality that let out-of-work artists and amateur bike nerds get paid to do what they loved. In the off-season, some drivers spent their earnings on vacations to London, Brazil and Mexico that lasted for months.
In 2000, Ricardo Hernandez, a musician, needed $800 to pay his rent in Bushwick, Brooklyn. He answered an ad in the Village Voice seeking pedicab drivers; in his first week, he made $900. “We were like troubadours,” Mr. Hernandez recalled recently at a pedicab garage on 57th Street. “We all knew each other. You’d go back to the garage and gather and talk about your day.”
“Now there’s a lot of normal people, just average people,” he said. “Now it’s an average job. It’s lost its charm.” Mr. Hernandez registered for his license this week; he said he hoped that the new rules would make customers and police officers consider pedicabs a safer form of transit. “They’re going to have to respect us,” he said. “We’re not anonymous anymore.”
In June, a pedicab driver and two passengers were injured in a collision with a taxi at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn, prompting a renewed effort by the city to regulate. Fleet owners like Cevdet Kiziltan, who owns 30 cabs, said accountability would keep reckless players out of the profession. He said he missed the days when customers were friendlier and the business looked out for its own.
As of Friday morning, the city had received applications from 303 drivers and 150 businesses, for a total of 844 individual pedicabs.
Officials said they were disappointed that many waited until the last minute. “This industry is taking a journey toward professionalizing itself,” said Jonathan Mintz, the commissioner of consumer affairs. “It’s going to be a long journey.”
George Bliss, 56, started the original garage on East Third Street; at first, he thought pedicabs would be a popular way for clubgoers to migrate crosstown on weekend nights. Nowadays, he is more ambivalent.
“Even some of my most cherished drivers didn’t care whether they had liability insurance or not,” he said disgustedly. “The attitude was, ‘Go ahead and sue me, I don’t have any assets.’ ” But he admitted to some nostalgia.
“Those are the glory days of my life,” he said. “People would just tell me: ‘I love this job. You have given me the best job of my life.’ ”
Plus, there are the health benefits.
“Pulling two Texan tourists, that’s 400 pounds you have in the back, plus the cab is 150 pounds,” Mr. Bliss said. “I had many people take that job to lose weight.”
New York Pedicabs Go Legit, Lose Outlaw Status
by Victor Ozols
I've never taken a pedicab in my life, but it seems I'm in the minority, as the number of the pedal-powered bicycle taxis has risen dramatically since their introduction to New York in 1995. Pedicabs have become so popular, in fact, that they're now regulated by the city, which requires vehicles to be insured, inspected, and fitted with seat belts, headlights, and hydraulic brakes. A story in The New York Times explains that the new regulations legitimize an industry that began as something of a fringe group, attracting actors, artists, and various downtown weirdos to a unique profession that could net them up to $1,000 a week and help them stay skinny and hot.
Back in 1995, I was living on East Third Street above a bar called The Edge when the first pedicabs began rolling out of a garage just down the block, next to the Hells Angels clubhouse. I honestly thought they'd never be more than a novelty in the city. After all, pedicabs go slower than taxis and cost more. But people must like the open-air ride, with good views and occasional moments of terror, because nowadays I see them everywhere, especially in midtown where I work. Their increasing popularity in the city is especially odd because cyclos and rickshaws are a dying breed in places like Vietnam, India, and China, rapidly being replaced by cars and smoke-belching scooters.
So I guess pedicabs are a good addition to New York's streets, because they emit no exhaust and are a nearly silent form of transport in a city with more than enough noise. I'm still unlikely to flag one down, though, because I automatically head for the subway whenever I need to travel fast. Have you ever taken a pedicab in New York or anywhere else? Share your experience in the comments.
I've never taken a pedicab in my life, but it seems I'm in the minority, as the number of the pedal-powered bicycle taxis has risen dramatically since their introduction to New York in 1995. Pedicabs have become so popular, in fact, that they're now regulated by the city, which requires vehicles to be insured, inspected, and fitted with seat belts, headlights, and hydraulic brakes. A story in The New York Times explains that the new regulations legitimize an industry that began as something of a fringe group, attracting actors, artists, and various downtown weirdos to a unique profession that could net them up to $1,000 a week and help them stay skinny and hot.
Back in 1995, I was living on East Third Street above a bar called The Edge when the first pedicabs began rolling out of a garage just down the block, next to the Hells Angels clubhouse. I honestly thought they'd never be more than a novelty in the city. After all, pedicabs go slower than taxis and cost more. But people must like the open-air ride, with good views and occasional moments of terror, because nowadays I see them everywhere, especially in midtown where I work. Their increasing popularity in the city is especially odd because cyclos and rickshaws are a dying breed in places like Vietnam, India, and China, rapidly being replaced by cars and smoke-belching scooters.
So I guess pedicabs are a good addition to New York's streets, because they emit no exhaust and are a nearly silent form of transport in a city with more than enough noise. I'm still unlikely to flag one down, though, because I automatically head for the subway whenever I need to travel fast. Have you ever taken a pedicab in New York or anywhere else? Share your experience in the comments.
Pedicab Owners Rush to Beat Deadline for City Licenses
Pedicab Owners Rush to Beat Deadline for City Licenses
By Jennifer Glickel
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
BATTERY PARK CITY — Pedicab owners filled the licensing office of the Department of Consumer Affairs Friday in order to beat the 5 p.m. deadline to apply for business licenses to stay on the road legally.
After a series of complaints, accidents, and injuries, Friday marked the culmination of the city's push to regulate the pedicab industry.
"Everybody used to like us. It used to be so much fun!," said Bernard Treanor, a self-declared pedicab veteran. "Now, it's just like all we do is run people over. But hopefully that's going to change now with the regulations."
In order to become licensed, pedicab owners had to submit a business application, provide proof of insurance, and pass every vehicle through an extensive safety inspection. Pedicab drivers also need to secure a special drivers license issued by the DCA.
Pedicab Owners Apply for City Licenses with a Few Hours to SparePedicab owners waited patiently at the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs Friday to submit their business applications for pedicab licenses. (Jennifer Glickel/DNAinfo)
Pedicab owners applying for licenses on Friday agreed that the regulation will have a positive impact, particularly in terms of safety.
"I think it's really important that the DCA is regulating safety because some people used to drive without seat belts and they took more than three passengers," said Andrey Zhilnikov, 24, who applied for a license on Friday.
"It's dangerous, especially on the street."
Applications will not be accepted for 18 months following today's deadline, which has prompted an influx of applications in the last week and a half, according to the DCA.
"We have really been out there hitting the streets trying to get the word out to all the thousand plus pedicabs that everybody sees out on the roads to let them know if you want to stay in business, you need to come into DCA and submit your application," DCA Commissioner Jonathan Mintz told DNAinfo.
"Obviously people have gotten that message because as of the end of [Thursday], we had over 844 pedicabs that had been applied for," Mintz said.
"These licenses are all geared toward one thing, which is to make sure that pedicabs are safe and accountable to the public."
By Jennifer Glickel
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
BATTERY PARK CITY — Pedicab owners filled the licensing office of the Department of Consumer Affairs Friday in order to beat the 5 p.m. deadline to apply for business licenses to stay on the road legally.
After a series of complaints, accidents, and injuries, Friday marked the culmination of the city's push to regulate the pedicab industry.
"Everybody used to like us. It used to be so much fun!," said Bernard Treanor, a self-declared pedicab veteran. "Now, it's just like all we do is run people over. But hopefully that's going to change now with the regulations."
In order to become licensed, pedicab owners had to submit a business application, provide proof of insurance, and pass every vehicle through an extensive safety inspection. Pedicab drivers also need to secure a special drivers license issued by the DCA.
Pedicab Owners Apply for City Licenses with a Few Hours to SparePedicab owners waited patiently at the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs Friday to submit their business applications for pedicab licenses. (Jennifer Glickel/DNAinfo)
Pedicab owners applying for licenses on Friday agreed that the regulation will have a positive impact, particularly in terms of safety.
"I think it's really important that the DCA is regulating safety because some people used to drive without seat belts and they took more than three passengers," said Andrey Zhilnikov, 24, who applied for a license on Friday.
"It's dangerous, especially on the street."
Applications will not be accepted for 18 months following today's deadline, which has prompted an influx of applications in the last week and a half, according to the DCA.
"We have really been out there hitting the streets trying to get the word out to all the thousand plus pedicabs that everybody sees out on the roads to let them know if you want to stay in business, you need to come into DCA and submit your application," DCA Commissioner Jonathan Mintz told DNAinfo.
"Obviously people have gotten that message because as of the end of [Thursday], we had over 844 pedicabs that had been applied for," Mintz said.
"These licenses are all geared toward one thing, which is to make sure that pedicabs are safe and accountable to the public."
Pedicab Operators Face Steep Fines as Registration Deadline Looms Read more: http://dnainfo.com/20091118/manhattan/pedicab-operators-face-steep-fines
By Heather Grossmann
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Pedicab owners who stay on the road without a business license from the city after today will face steep fines.
The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, which is administering the licenses, said 119 companies had applied for licenses as of Tuesday, accounting for 649 pedicabs.
However, it's difficult to determine how many of the city's pedicabs could be operating illegally beyond Friday because owners may be stocking up on licenses ahead of an 18-month freeze. Each owner can register up to 30 cabs.
The Department of Consumer Affairs reported an acceleration of applicants this week, though it could not predict how many pedicabs would ultimately be licensed. Two weeks ago, 70 pedicabs had been registered, compared to more than 600 this week. The licensing office was bustling with activity on Wednesday.
The city regulated the booming industry after a string of injuries and accidents. Legislation had been in the works for more than two years, and was kick-started last June after an accident that injured a pedicab driver and its two passengers on the Williamsburg Bridge.
The Department of Consumer Affairs will not comment on the specific strategies they will use to enforce the new law, but they said they will be aggressive in their tactics. Fines will range from $200 and up for a first violation to upwards of $4,000 for a third. In some cases, authorities could immediately seize unlicensed pedicabs.
In order to be licensed, pedicab companies must pass an inspection, provide proof of insurance and make sure that all of their drivers have obtained a special driver's license from the city.
The business license costs $110, with each additional cab registration adding $60. Though no other business licenses will be issued until the spring of 2011, drivers may register for a license at any time at a cost of $35.
A lack of regulation has made it difficult to determine the exact number of pedicabs in Manhattan. The number is estimated at around 700 to over 1,000 depending on the source.
Read more: http://dnainfo.com/20091118/manhattan/pedicab-operators-face-steep-fines-as-registration-deadline-looms#ixzz0d30R3cwP
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Pedicab owners who stay on the road without a business license from the city after today will face steep fines.
The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, which is administering the licenses, said 119 companies had applied for licenses as of Tuesday, accounting for 649 pedicabs.
However, it's difficult to determine how many of the city's pedicabs could be operating illegally beyond Friday because owners may be stocking up on licenses ahead of an 18-month freeze. Each owner can register up to 30 cabs.
The Department of Consumer Affairs reported an acceleration of applicants this week, though it could not predict how many pedicabs would ultimately be licensed. Two weeks ago, 70 pedicabs had been registered, compared to more than 600 this week. The licensing office was bustling with activity on Wednesday.
The city regulated the booming industry after a string of injuries and accidents. Legislation had been in the works for more than two years, and was kick-started last June after an accident that injured a pedicab driver and its two passengers on the Williamsburg Bridge.
The Department of Consumer Affairs will not comment on the specific strategies they will use to enforce the new law, but they said they will be aggressive in their tactics. Fines will range from $200 and up for a first violation to upwards of $4,000 for a third. In some cases, authorities could immediately seize unlicensed pedicabs.
In order to be licensed, pedicab companies must pass an inspection, provide proof of insurance and make sure that all of their drivers have obtained a special driver's license from the city.
The business license costs $110, with each additional cab registration adding $60. Though no other business licenses will be issued until the spring of 2011, drivers may register for a license at any time at a cost of $35.
A lack of regulation has made it difficult to determine the exact number of pedicabs in Manhattan. The number is estimated at around 700 to over 1,000 depending on the source.
Read more: http://dnainfo.com/20091118/manhattan/pedicab-operators-face-steep-fines-as-registration-deadline-looms#ixzz0d30R3cwP
Are Pedicabs Overcharging?
By Jen Carlson in News on November 17
As pedicab operators make the final stride in becoming legit under the city's new regulations, the NY Post takes a look at their rate cards. Unlike other modes of transportation in this city, pedicabs don't have a fixed fare. Operators can change their prices from minute-to-minute as long as they provide rate cards for their customers.
One driver, Patrick O'Donovan, told the paper he has five different rate cards, and he'll charge "$50 for a 20-minute ride during the holiday season. $10 from January to April." Another charges a $10 base fee, then $20 for every added 1.5 miles. Odometers, and even stopwatches, are all city-approved ways of keeping time and distance measured — meters were part of the inspection process many pedicab operators just went through to become licensed.
The number of totally legit pedicab operators was up to 519 by the end of yesterday — the rest have until Friday to get their licensing applications in.
As pedicab operators make the final stride in becoming legit under the city's new regulations, the NY Post takes a look at their rate cards. Unlike other modes of transportation in this city, pedicabs don't have a fixed fare. Operators can change their prices from minute-to-minute as long as they provide rate cards for their customers.
One driver, Patrick O'Donovan, told the paper he has five different rate cards, and he'll charge "$50 for a 20-minute ride during the holiday season. $10 from January to April." Another charges a $10 base fee, then $20 for every added 1.5 miles. Odometers, and even stopwatches, are all city-approved ways of keeping time and distance measured — meters were part of the inspection process many pedicab operators just went through to become licensed.
The number of totally legit pedicab operators was up to 519 by the end of yesterday — the rest have until Friday to get their licensing applications in.
Licensing Deadline Looms for Pedicab Owners
By SARAH MASLIN NIR
Get licensed or get out, is the message from the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs to the city’s pedicab professionals, who have until Friday to obtain business licenses and register their vehicles or else close up shop. The Nov. 20 deadline marks the end of a 60-day period in which the city invited pedicab operators to apply to become licensed, a process that entails submitting their rickshaws to a rigorous inspection, and retrofitting them with things like seat belts and turn signals to bring them up to new safety standards outlined in the law.
“Friday is an end and a beginning; it’s the end of a very, very long process in which the pedicab has been seeking regulation,” said Chad Marlow, a spokesman for the New York City Pedicab Owners’ Association, a group of about 70 rickshaw business owners who have pushed for the new rules. They include pedicab licenses for drivers who were unlicensed.
The city’s commissioner of consumer affairs, Jonathan B. Mintz, said in an interview that the move toward licensing would address concerns expressed over years about safety.
“There has been a significant concern, including from those in the industry, that an unregulated and rapidly growing industry posed some concerns to public safety,” he said. Though the city law setting the licensing requirements was adopted by the City Council two years ago, business owners sued because they were unsatisfied with certain points. A final compromise version went into effect two months ago.
After Friday, no business licenses will be issued for 18 months, after which point, the city will reassess its decision. There is no deadline for applying for a pedicab driver’s license — those will continue to be issued.
Although pedicabs entered the city’s streetscape around the mid-1990s, they became prevalent — some would say too prevalent — only about five years ago. At first, the human-powered carts had no oversight except by voluntary groups founded by those in the business, like the owners’ association.
In the industry’s early days, regulation wasn’t necessary because the small number of operators held one another accountable, said the association’s president Gregg Zukowski, who owns 22 pedicabs he rents out to drivers from his company, Revolution Rickshaws.
After Sept. 11, 2001, according to Mr. Zukowski, when pedicabs gained national attention and positive P.R. by ferrying people to cordoned-off areas downtown, the number of drivers and vehicles boomed. Industry estimates put the number now at more than 1,000. “The industry is taking its next steps into a more responsible era,” Mr. Zukowski said, “It got very big and unwieldy and it needed a little help from the city to get it into a more accountable sort of arena.”
One sticking point in the new licensing program is that it is heavily favored toward those who already own pedicabs. The licenses are limited to businesses with a fleet of no more than 30 cabs, and permit only the registration of existing cabs.
After the Friday deadline, owners may purchase registered cabs from one another, but there will be a cap on the total number of pedicabs. The pedicab businesses themselves can be sold, but only with the department’s permission.
As of Monday afternoon, 100 pedicab operations had applied for the necessary business licenses — which are awarded only if the company has insurance and its vehicles are deemed to be up-to-speed — with a total of 519 pedicabs.
But only 240 people have applied for the pedicab-driver licenses, despite what Mr. Mintz said was a rigorous long-term outreach program to make people aware of the deadline. (It is possible that some have not applied for the driver licenses because the Friday deadline is not as firm for them as it is for owners.)
Mr. Mintz speculated that some drivers were not prepared to meet the rigorous new requirements, because of financial and other reasons. “Our sense is that there are hundreds of operators out there right now who are not willing to make an investment, or not able to make an investment in insurance or retrofitting,” he said. “The process of professionalizing the industry will weed several out.”
One of those who may be weeded out is Nicholas Iacovino, 26, a pedicab driver for the past four years who says he makes $1,500 to $2,000 per week giving tourists rides through Central Park and other parts of the city. He said he had no plans to seek a license. “I think it is going fine the way it is now,” he said. “If I am doing something wrong, write me a ticket. Why do I need a license?”
The newly created pedicab licenses will be issued only to people who already have driver’s licenses. Because Mr. Iacovino, a native of the Lower East Side who has never had a driver’s license, owes $2,338 to the city in unpaid tickets from when he was a bicycle messenger (he says he didn’t believe traffic rules like pausing at red lights should have applied to those on bikes) he has been unable to get a driver’s license because he can’t afford to pay the fines.
“Strictly speaking, you don’t need a driver’s license to ride a bike,” said Mr. Zukowski, the president of the owners’ association, but “as a baseline, it’s a good way to make sure people are on the record, and insure that they know the rules of the road.”
Anecdotal evidence suggests that a large number of pedicab drivers are foreign, largely working illegally in the city, drawn to a job where it’s possible to make a living under the radar by paying just $20 to $50 to rent a rickshaw for the day. “We know that happens,” said Mr. Zukowski, who says he has rented his bikes to people from around the world. He says he pushed initially for drivers to be required to have a driver’s license issued in the United States.
“Immigration status is not a factor in getting either a business or a driver’s license,” said Mr. Mintz. “When we look at whether somebody is fit to get a pedicab license, we don’t ask what their immigration status is.”
Yet, some attribute the low application turnout to fear of discovery by some drivers and rickshaw owners who are working illegally. Mr. Iacovino, the pedicab driver, said that many of his colleagues say, “Why would I put my immigration status at risk just to ride a bike?”
“There’s a lot of guys in my situation,” said Mr. Iacovino. “They just say, ‘Hey you know what? We can’t do anything.’”
Friday, he said, will be his last day as a pedicab driver.
Get licensed or get out, is the message from the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs to the city’s pedicab professionals, who have until Friday to obtain business licenses and register their vehicles or else close up shop. The Nov. 20 deadline marks the end of a 60-day period in which the city invited pedicab operators to apply to become licensed, a process that entails submitting their rickshaws to a rigorous inspection, and retrofitting them with things like seat belts and turn signals to bring them up to new safety standards outlined in the law.
“Friday is an end and a beginning; it’s the end of a very, very long process in which the pedicab has been seeking regulation,” said Chad Marlow, a spokesman for the New York City Pedicab Owners’ Association, a group of about 70 rickshaw business owners who have pushed for the new rules. They include pedicab licenses for drivers who were unlicensed.
The city’s commissioner of consumer affairs, Jonathan B. Mintz, said in an interview that the move toward licensing would address concerns expressed over years about safety.
“There has been a significant concern, including from those in the industry, that an unregulated and rapidly growing industry posed some concerns to public safety,” he said. Though the city law setting the licensing requirements was adopted by the City Council two years ago, business owners sued because they were unsatisfied with certain points. A final compromise version went into effect two months ago.
After Friday, no business licenses will be issued for 18 months, after which point, the city will reassess its decision. There is no deadline for applying for a pedicab driver’s license — those will continue to be issued.
Although pedicabs entered the city’s streetscape around the mid-1990s, they became prevalent — some would say too prevalent — only about five years ago. At first, the human-powered carts had no oversight except by voluntary groups founded by those in the business, like the owners’ association.
In the industry’s early days, regulation wasn’t necessary because the small number of operators held one another accountable, said the association’s president Gregg Zukowski, who owns 22 pedicabs he rents out to drivers from his company, Revolution Rickshaws.
After Sept. 11, 2001, according to Mr. Zukowski, when pedicabs gained national attention and positive P.R. by ferrying people to cordoned-off areas downtown, the number of drivers and vehicles boomed. Industry estimates put the number now at more than 1,000. “The industry is taking its next steps into a more responsible era,” Mr. Zukowski said, “It got very big and unwieldy and it needed a little help from the city to get it into a more accountable sort of arena.”
One sticking point in the new licensing program is that it is heavily favored toward those who already own pedicabs. The licenses are limited to businesses with a fleet of no more than 30 cabs, and permit only the registration of existing cabs.
After the Friday deadline, owners may purchase registered cabs from one another, but there will be a cap on the total number of pedicabs. The pedicab businesses themselves can be sold, but only with the department’s permission.
As of Monday afternoon, 100 pedicab operations had applied for the necessary business licenses — which are awarded only if the company has insurance and its vehicles are deemed to be up-to-speed — with a total of 519 pedicabs.
But only 240 people have applied for the pedicab-driver licenses, despite what Mr. Mintz said was a rigorous long-term outreach program to make people aware of the deadline. (It is possible that some have not applied for the driver licenses because the Friday deadline is not as firm for them as it is for owners.)
Mr. Mintz speculated that some drivers were not prepared to meet the rigorous new requirements, because of financial and other reasons. “Our sense is that there are hundreds of operators out there right now who are not willing to make an investment, or not able to make an investment in insurance or retrofitting,” he said. “The process of professionalizing the industry will weed several out.”
One of those who may be weeded out is Nicholas Iacovino, 26, a pedicab driver for the past four years who says he makes $1,500 to $2,000 per week giving tourists rides through Central Park and other parts of the city. He said he had no plans to seek a license. “I think it is going fine the way it is now,” he said. “If I am doing something wrong, write me a ticket. Why do I need a license?”
The newly created pedicab licenses will be issued only to people who already have driver’s licenses. Because Mr. Iacovino, a native of the Lower East Side who has never had a driver’s license, owes $2,338 to the city in unpaid tickets from when he was a bicycle messenger (he says he didn’t believe traffic rules like pausing at red lights should have applied to those on bikes) he has been unable to get a driver’s license because he can’t afford to pay the fines.
“Strictly speaking, you don’t need a driver’s license to ride a bike,” said Mr. Zukowski, the president of the owners’ association, but “as a baseline, it’s a good way to make sure people are on the record, and insure that they know the rules of the road.”
Anecdotal evidence suggests that a large number of pedicab drivers are foreign, largely working illegally in the city, drawn to a job where it’s possible to make a living under the radar by paying just $20 to $50 to rent a rickshaw for the day. “We know that happens,” said Mr. Zukowski, who says he has rented his bikes to people from around the world. He says he pushed initially for drivers to be required to have a driver’s license issued in the United States.
“Immigration status is not a factor in getting either a business or a driver’s license,” said Mr. Mintz. “When we look at whether somebody is fit to get a pedicab license, we don’t ask what their immigration status is.”
Yet, some attribute the low application turnout to fear of discovery by some drivers and rickshaw owners who are working illegally. Mr. Iacovino, the pedicab driver, said that many of his colleagues say, “Why would I put my immigration status at risk just to ride a bike?”
“There’s a lot of guys in my situation,” said Mr. Iacovino. “They just say, ‘Hey you know what? We can’t do anything.’”
Friday, he said, will be his last day as a pedicab driver.
Ideas for Cities: Pedicab Infrastructure
Pedicab infrastructure
Some streets could be zoned for pedicabs (and bicycles) only. Themed pedicabs would make alternate transportation more fun, and would make this method of commuting a “destination” instead of simply a mode. It would also provide healthy work for the employees. Pedicab themes could be anything from music, to luxury, to branded experience, to learning lessons (TED Peds).
This is part 12 of a continuing brainstorm on the future of cities, inaugurated at the Velocity conference in September 2009. We’ll post a new idea each day until we run out, at which point we’re counting on you to come up with something smart. Do you have a good idea for improving your city? Add it in the comments below, or tweet it to @GOOD with hashtag #cityideas—we’ll publish the best ones. Tomorrow’s idea: Decentralized Design Hubs and Work Centers.
Some streets could be zoned for pedicabs (and bicycles) only. Themed pedicabs would make alternate transportation more fun, and would make this method of commuting a “destination” instead of simply a mode. It would also provide healthy work for the employees. Pedicab themes could be anything from music, to luxury, to branded experience, to learning lessons (TED Peds).
This is part 12 of a continuing brainstorm on the future of cities, inaugurated at the Velocity conference in September 2009. We’ll post a new idea each day until we run out, at which point we’re counting on you to come up with something smart. Do you have a good idea for improving your city? Add it in the comments below, or tweet it to @GOOD with hashtag #cityideas—we’ll publish the best ones. Tomorrow’s idea: Decentralized Design Hubs and Work Centers.
Pedicab Drivers Urged By City Officers To Register
By: NY1 News
The Department of Consumer Affairs is urging pedicab operators to license their businesses 10 days before the city's deadline for registration.
Pedicabs owners were originally given 60 days to register.
So far, only 32 businesses and 145 drivers have applied for licenses and 117 pedicabs have been registered.
Industry estimates say there are thousands of pedicabs on the road, creating concern that many won't be registered before the deadline.
Unlicensed pedicab businesses and drivers cannot legally operate after November 20.
The Department of Consumer Affairs is urging pedicab operators to license their businesses 10 days before the city's deadline for registration.
Pedicabs owners were originally given 60 days to register.
So far, only 32 businesses and 145 drivers have applied for licenses and 117 pedicabs have been registered.
Industry estimates say there are thousands of pedicabs on the road, creating concern that many won't be registered before the deadline.
Unlicensed pedicab businesses and drivers cannot legally operate after November 20.
Once a tourist attraction, pedicabs grow in everyday use
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.
In New York City, a string of traffic accidents and brawls involving pedicab drivers prompted officials to impose new regulations. By Nov. 20, all pedicab businesses must be registered and licensed with the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs.
"The New York Police Department will enforce this law to the fullest extent," said Consumer Affairs spokeswoman Elizabeth Miller. Operators must agree to an annual safety inspection, too.
Since the licensing process began, 16 pedicab businesses have applied, with 77 affiliated pedicabs and 80 drivers, but the office hopes to see a rush just before the deadline, Miller said. "By the industry estimates, there are over 1,000 pedicab drivers on the street," she said.
It's not just a big-city issue. Dan Werner, director of sales and marketing for manufacturer Main Street Pedicabs, said he used to sell primarily to big cities but has seen an increase in orders from what he calls "small-town USA." Recently, he fielded pedicab business inquiries from Akron, Ohio; Sandpoint, Idaho; and Modesto, Calif. Some of the interest is generated by the public's thirst for environmentally friendly travel options and ways to avoid traffic during big events, he said.
"The downtown life is big for pedicabs," he said, particularly in college towns.
Speeding up safeguards
Once just a summertime sight in Delaware, pedicabs have moved from the beach to the streets of downtown Newark. This fall, two pedicab companies launched service in the college town of about 30,000 people to ferry University of Delaware students and others to and from the restaurants and bars that line Main Street.
Newark had no pedicab-specific regulations when Matt Greenberg and Sean Hague, owners of Green Rides, tried to apply for a business license. Pedicab companies are now required to get business licenses and show proof of insurance for their vehicles. Green Rides and the other pedicab company, College Taxi, talked with Newark police about installing lights and other safeguards.
The city of Bloomington, Ind., had no regulations for pedicabs when a business started there in 2008, targeting Indiana University students seeking transportation to downtown nightlife. Legislation is in the works, but it comes with controversy.
"We were contacted by the yellow cab companies saying, 'Hey, this isn't fair, and how can they cherry-pick the downtown and do what they want to do when we have to serve the entire city limits, we have to operate 365 days a year, and we have to have a physical building?' " said Adam Wason, the city's assistant economic development director.
In Arlington, Texas, City Council members are mulling a pedicab ordinance, Councilman Jimmy Bennett said.
"What we're looking at is ... do we need to become involved in regulating it with regard to public safety?" Bennett said.
Pedicab regulations that recently passed in Marietta, Ga., require that drivers post the company's business license and rates inside each vehicle, similar to the procedures followed by taxi cab drivers, said Brian Binzer, director of development services.
This past year, the City Council in Salem, Mass., passed a host of regulations to deal with the rising pedicab industry, member Steven Pinto said.
"Pedicabs started popping up (for the tourists), and we didn't have anything on the books to deal with them," he said. The new ordinances deal with certification, liability and traffic safety, he said.
Hailed for filling a void
As baseball fans watched the Yankees take on the Angels inside a Newark pizzeria last month, pedicab drivers from College Taxi and Green Rides were parked at the curb. The safety lights on the pedicabs created a blinking red glare on the sidewalk as the drivers waited for passengers and traded stories about customizing their rides.
The two new Newark pedicab services were started to fill a void created when public safety officials at the University of Delaware said they would stop providing safety escort rides to students.
Pedicab passenger
"I think it's decent, especially for college people ... and it's good for very tired people like us, who are standing on our feet all day," Timmon said.
Their trip to the bus stop was powered by Ross Sylvester, co-owner of College Taxi. "They (pedicabs) turn heads when we're riding down the street. We immediately got a great response. I think the student body really embraced it because on campus there's no real form of transportation other than the buses," Sylvester, 20, said.
Pedicab drivers began pedaling at the University of Oregon and Washington State University this fall.
Contributing: Jessica Leving of USA TODAY in McLean, Va.
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.
In New York City, a string of traffic accidents and brawls involving pedicab drivers prompted officials to impose new regulations. By Nov. 20, all pedicab businesses must be registered and licensed with the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs.
"The New York Police Department will enforce this law to the fullest extent," said Consumer Affairs spokeswoman Elizabeth Miller. Operators must agree to an annual safety inspection, too.
Since the licensing process began, 16 pedicab businesses have applied, with 77 affiliated pedicabs and 80 drivers, but the office hopes to see a rush just before the deadline, Miller said. "By the industry estimates, there are over 1,000 pedicab drivers on the street," she said.
It's not just a big-city issue. Dan Werner, director of sales and marketing for manufacturer Main Street Pedicabs, said he used to sell primarily to big cities but has seen an increase in orders from what he calls "small-town USA." Recently, he fielded pedicab business inquiries from Akron, Ohio; Sandpoint, Idaho; and Modesto, Calif. Some of the interest is generated by the public's thirst for environmentally friendly travel options and ways to avoid traffic during big events, he said.
"The downtown life is big for pedicabs," he said, particularly in college towns.
Speeding up safeguards
Once just a summertime sight in Delaware, pedicabs have moved from the beach to the streets of downtown Newark. This fall, two pedicab companies launched service in the college town of about 30,000 people to ferry University of Delaware students and others to and from the restaurants and bars that line Main Street.
Newark had no pedicab-specific regulations when Matt Greenberg and Sean Hague, owners of Green Rides, tried to apply for a business license. Pedicab companies are now required to get business licenses and show proof of insurance for their vehicles. Green Rides and the other pedicab company, College Taxi, talked with Newark police about installing lights and other safeguards.
The city of Bloomington, Ind., had no regulations for pedicabs when a business started there in 2008, targeting Indiana University students seeking transportation to downtown nightlife. Legislation is in the works, but it comes with controversy.
"We were contacted by the yellow cab companies saying, 'Hey, this isn't fair, and how can they cherry-pick the downtown and do what they want to do when we have to serve the entire city limits, we have to operate 365 days a year, and we have to have a physical building?' " said Adam Wason, the city's assistant economic development director.
In Arlington, Texas, City Council members are mulling a pedicab ordinance, Councilman Jimmy Bennett said.
"What we're looking at is ... do we need to become involved in regulating it with regard to public safety?" Bennett said.
Pedicab regulations that recently passed in Marietta, Ga., require that drivers post the company's business license and rates inside each vehicle, similar to the procedures followed by taxi cab drivers, said Brian Binzer, director of development services.
This past year, the City Council in Salem, Mass., passed a host of regulations to deal with the rising pedicab industry, member Steven Pinto said.
"Pedicabs started popping up (for the tourists), and we didn't have anything on the books to deal with them," he said. The new ordinances deal with certification, liability and traffic safety, he said.
Hailed for filling a void
As baseball fans watched the Yankees take on the Angels inside a Newark pizzeria last month, pedicab drivers from College Taxi and Green Rides were parked at the curb. The safety lights on the pedicabs created a blinking red glare on the sidewalk as the drivers waited for passengers and traded stories about customizing their rides.
The two new Newark pedicab services were started to fill a void created when public safety officials at the University of Delaware said they would stop providing safety escort rides to students.
Pedicab passenger
"I think it's decent, especially for college people ... and it's good for very tired people like us, who are standing on our feet all day," Timmon said.
Their trip to the bus stop was powered by Ross Sylvester, co-owner of College Taxi. "They (pedicabs) turn heads when we're riding down the street. We immediately got a great response. I think the student body really embraced it because on campus there's no real form of transportation other than the buses," Sylvester, 20, said.
Pedicab drivers began pedaling at the University of Oregon and Washington State University this fall.
Contributing: Jessica Leving of USA TODAY in McLean, Va.
Pedicabs may soon be rolling through Elm City
By Mary E. O’Leary, Register Topics Editor
NEW HAVEN — Outgoing Fair Haven Alderwoman Erin Sturgis-Pascale, D-14, Thursday saw one more pedestrian-friendly city transportation option added to her legacy as a lawmaker concerned with safe streets and clean air.
The Board of Aldermen approved her proposed ordinance that outlines the rules for any entrepreneur who wants to run a pedicab service here.
After a public hearing, the original proposal was amended with some safety caveats that require seat belts for the occupants of the three-person vehicle and training for the drivers.
There can be a total of 20 pedicabs in operation, although the city’s traffic authority can increase that for special events.
Sturgis-Pascale, who has been a leader on safe streets and traffic calming measures that are being emphasized in neighborhoods and development projects, said she is looking forward to her first ride in a pedicab.
The ordinance will put New Haven in the same league as New York, Portland, Ore., Boston, San Diego, Austin, Texas, and Chicago, which allow pedicabs.
The only area municipality with pedicab service is Milford, where four cabs are in operation. In New Haven, Paul Hammer and John Binford, a Yale University medical student, are interested in starting a similar operation.
When Sturgis-Pascale recently came back to New Haven on the train from New York, she said she had to take a taxi downtown to the State Street station, but would have preferred to just jump in a pedicab as a “novel, sustainable, slower option.”
Operators of pedicabs will need to be licensed and carry liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance. They also will need to take the Smart Cycling course offered by the League of American Bicyclists, to demonstrate they know how to correctly navigate through traffic.
It was felt that New Haven’s flat geography was conducive to nonmotorized transportation. The City Plan Commission found that the pedicabs would be a positive addition to the transportation options, although it recommended the ordinance be assessed within one year to look at any safety issues.
Sturgis-Pascale decided not to seek re-election to her aldermanic seat after her term ends this year because the considerable time demands of the office kept her from young family. Still, she said she wouldn’t have felt comfortable leaving without the strong coalition of concerned lawmakers and citizens that has been established around safe streets in New Haven.
“I feel there has been a groundswell of interest in these topics,” she said, and felt her legacy will be carried on by Alderman Roland Leman, D-9, and freshman Democrat Aldermen Justin Elicker in East Rock’s 10th Ward and Michael Jones in the 1st Ward.
Mary E. O’Leary can be reached at 789-5731 or moleary@nhregister.com.
NEW HAVEN — Outgoing Fair Haven Alderwoman Erin Sturgis-Pascale, D-14, Thursday saw one more pedestrian-friendly city transportation option added to her legacy as a lawmaker concerned with safe streets and clean air.
The Board of Aldermen approved her proposed ordinance that outlines the rules for any entrepreneur who wants to run a pedicab service here.
After a public hearing, the original proposal was amended with some safety caveats that require seat belts for the occupants of the three-person vehicle and training for the drivers.
There can be a total of 20 pedicabs in operation, although the city’s traffic authority can increase that for special events.
Sturgis-Pascale, who has been a leader on safe streets and traffic calming measures that are being emphasized in neighborhoods and development projects, said she is looking forward to her first ride in a pedicab.
The ordinance will put New Haven in the same league as New York, Portland, Ore., Boston, San Diego, Austin, Texas, and Chicago, which allow pedicabs.
The only area municipality with pedicab service is Milford, where four cabs are in operation. In New Haven, Paul Hammer and John Binford, a Yale University medical student, are interested in starting a similar operation.
When Sturgis-Pascale recently came back to New Haven on the train from New York, she said she had to take a taxi downtown to the State Street station, but would have preferred to just jump in a pedicab as a “novel, sustainable, slower option.”
Operators of pedicabs will need to be licensed and carry liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance. They also will need to take the Smart Cycling course offered by the League of American Bicyclists, to demonstrate they know how to correctly navigate through traffic.
It was felt that New Haven’s flat geography was conducive to nonmotorized transportation. The City Plan Commission found that the pedicabs would be a positive addition to the transportation options, although it recommended the ordinance be assessed within one year to look at any safety issues.
Sturgis-Pascale decided not to seek re-election to her aldermanic seat after her term ends this year because the considerable time demands of the office kept her from young family. Still, she said she wouldn’t have felt comfortable leaving without the strong coalition of concerned lawmakers and citizens that has been established around safe streets in New Haven.
“I feel there has been a groundswell of interest in these topics,” she said, and felt her legacy will be carried on by Alderman Roland Leman, D-9, and freshman Democrat Aldermen Justin Elicker in East Rock’s 10th Ward and Michael Jones in the 1st Ward.
Mary E. O’Leary can be reached at 789-5731 or moleary@nhregister.com.
The pedicab pole dancers of NYC
By Jeffrey Davis
Wed, Oct 28 2009 at 3:26 PM EST
What's better than going on a bike ride? A ride in a pedicab. What's better than a pedicab? A pedicab with pole dancers on the back.
Bikers are taking back the streets of NYC, but one of them is doing it with a platform and a pole dancer in tow. Andrew Katzander is the brainchild of PoleRiders, New York’s hottest show on two wheels.
The description on their website pretty much explains it all: “PoleRiders is a new invention that unites two great things that are even better together: bicycles and pole dancers!”
Time Out New York says, “Though it started merely as a fun idea, PoleRiders has become a second job for Katzander, who's an industrial designer by day. In addition to catching regular joy rides, you can book them for special events.”
How is this public stripping even close to legal? Because it’s not stripping.
Via the New York Post: "It's all legal. The cops can't really stop us — I'm riding my bike and she's exercising," said Katzander of flash dancer Marlo Fisken, 25, who is a pole-dancing teacher. "I'm not a stripper. Because you have high heels and you're on a pole, it doesn't mean you're doing anything raunchy," she said. "It's fun, and it's a little bit exhibitionist."
What does that mean? Mommy and daddy can rest at ease. These PoleRiders are just scantily clad dancers; they don’t even get partially nude. Sure, they’re in lingerie and fishnet stockings, but you’re going to see more than that at the pool or the beach, aren’t you?
The PoleRiders are liable to pop up anywhere around NYC, day or night, so keep your eyes peeled. If you see a crowd of people rushing out of a bar or gathering on the sidewalk and staring in bewilderment, there's a good chance that the PoleRiders are cruising by.
Check the PoleRiders’ blog for up-to-date pictures and commentary. You can catch their next scheduled ride in the NYC Village Halloween Parade.
See, and you thought biking wasn’t sexy…
Wed, Oct 28 2009 at 3:26 PM EST
What's better than going on a bike ride? A ride in a pedicab. What's better than a pedicab? A pedicab with pole dancers on the back.
Bikers are taking back the streets of NYC, but one of them is doing it with a platform and a pole dancer in tow. Andrew Katzander is the brainchild of PoleRiders, New York’s hottest show on two wheels.
The description on their website pretty much explains it all: “PoleRiders is a new invention that unites two great things that are even better together: bicycles and pole dancers!”
Time Out New York says, “Though it started merely as a fun idea, PoleRiders has become a second job for Katzander, who's an industrial designer by day. In addition to catching regular joy rides, you can book them for special events.”
How is this public stripping even close to legal? Because it’s not stripping.
Via the New York Post: "It's all legal. The cops can't really stop us — I'm riding my bike and she's exercising," said Katzander of flash dancer Marlo Fisken, 25, who is a pole-dancing teacher. "I'm not a stripper. Because you have high heels and you're on a pole, it doesn't mean you're doing anything raunchy," she said. "It's fun, and it's a little bit exhibitionist."
What does that mean? Mommy and daddy can rest at ease. These PoleRiders are just scantily clad dancers; they don’t even get partially nude. Sure, they’re in lingerie and fishnet stockings, but you’re going to see more than that at the pool or the beach, aren’t you?
The PoleRiders are liable to pop up anywhere around NYC, day or night, so keep your eyes peeled. If you see a crowd of people rushing out of a bar or gathering on the sidewalk and staring in bewilderment, there's a good chance that the PoleRiders are cruising by.
Check the PoleRiders’ blog for up-to-date pictures and commentary. You can catch their next scheduled ride in the NYC Village Halloween Parade.
See, and you thought biking wasn’t sexy…
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