Electric cabs: New competition for pedicabs in Orlando?

March 15, 2007

Corey Lamb has always been the guy in the room with the big idea -- so many, in fact, that his mother grew weary of hearing them all.

"My mother said, 'I'm tired of hearing about all these great ideas and you not putting them to use,' " he said. "I've had tons of ideas, but I've never taken that leap of faith."

Two months ago today, Lamb took that leap. People have been pointing and staring at him ever since.

In January, Lamb started O-Cartz, a small but growing fleet of electric cabs that prowl the streets of downtown Orlando. Technically, they are NEVs, or Neighborhood Electric Vehicles. Picture a "stretch" golf cart.

Downtown workers and nightclubbers are accustomed to seeing taxis and no longer look twice at the muscle-powered pedicabs that started a few years back. But a silent golf-cart-like vehicle with chrome hubcaps and three rows of bucket seats -- well, that's different.

"It's like I'm a ghost or an alien," Lamb said. "People point or stare."

For $3 a pop ($5 roundtrip), Lamb will pick you up and take you where you want to go, as long as it is downtown.

The 29-year-old entrepreneur, who holds a master's degree in communications and information systems, was walking downtown with a cousin a few months ago when the idea came to him. His cousin noticed all the pedicabs -- bicycles pulling passenger trailers -- competing for foot-weary customers.

"He said, 'If I had a golf cart, I could run those things over,' " Lamb said.

If he were in a comic strip, a light bulb would have appeared over Lamb's head.

After a bit of research, Lamb bought two NEVs from Global Electric Motorcars, a company owned by DaimlerChrysler AG. He has two more on order.

Powered by six 12-volt batteries, the vehicles have a top speed of 25 mph and go 30 miles before needing a charge from a standard electrical outlet. But the carts can legally operate only on streets with a speed limit of 35 mph or less, so O-Cartz's territory is restricted to downtown.

The city regulates taxis and is in the middle of enacting regulations for pedicabs. When Lamb rolled onto the scene, city officials were just as puzzled as downtown residents.

"When they first contacted us, we weren't sure what the heck they were. We had to do a little research," said police legal adviser Natasha Permaul. The city eventually determined the carts -- which have equipment not found on most golf carts, such as headlights, taillights, seat belts and windshield wipers -- qualify to share the road.

The business operates at midday during the work week, hauling downtown workers back and forth to lunch. Wednesday through Saturday, O-Cartz caters to the nighttime crowd, carrying people to dinner, Magic basketball games and nightclubs as late as 3 a.m.

Things are toughest for any business in its first months, but Lamb said he is attracting repeat customers and gets referrals from concierges at downtown hotels.

Most people who climb in his cart want to go someplace that is too far to walk but not far enough to justify calling a traditional taxi, Lamb said. Plus, there is the mystique. As much mystique as you can get at 25 mph, anyway.

"It has a small sense of adventure," Lamb said. "It's fun."

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