Things that matter

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Gike's comments on my previous post "Wake up and Repent" got me to thinking. As the big dog in Denver Pedicabdom, how much responsibility do we bare in this situation? And what about the other legit operators in town? Where are they in all of this?

By default, we have been the spokespersons for the pedicabs here in Denver because we are the largest, have been here the longest and are the public face of the industry. When there's a problem, we get the call.

The true professional pedicab operation gets insurance, gets licenses, pays taxes, maintains their bikes, and trains anyone who rides for them. Their drivers don't drink and then drive, don't drive recklessly, don't gouge or overcharge. They are conscientious, courteous, friendly, and safety-conscious.

There is a group of independents who don’t think they have to follow any rules or listen to anyone. This group has ridden the coat tails of the legitimate companies (MHP in particular) for years. We're the ones who meet with the business community and talk about how great pedicabs are for Denver. We're the ones donating tours and time and energy to charities like PBS and Race for the Cure. We're the ones who get the phone calls when there's a complaint or incident. We're the ones promoting pedicabs in Denver and around the country. We're the ones who smoothed things over with the venue when there were problems last year and the year before. These actions benefit ALL the pedicab drivers in Denver, not just those who ride for Mile High.

Whenever we've tried to do anything to stabilize or legitimize the industry here, they push back. "F*** you, man! I'm gonna do what I want. I don't care about anybody but myself. The rest of you can f*** off!" For far too long, they've been tolerated, allowed to operate and continue to put the industry at risk. If MHP is the big dog on the street, then they're the annoying little ankle biters.

Who is responsible for the actions of these drivers? Does a new driver get to makeup new rules and just start riding or disregard the existing one because they simply don’t like them?

Which brings me back to my original point -- how much responsibility do we bare? We could have been more aggressive in getting them out. We could have gone to the city and demanded better enforcement of the regulations. We could have called the police every time we saw an infraction. We could have negotiated exclusive rights for our drivers to operate at the venues rather than trying to set up systems that would allow everyone to operate if they followed the rules. But we didn't want to be perceived as anti-competition. We didn't want to expose the naked nasty underbelly of pedicabs to the public. We thought it could cause more harm than good and things would work out somehow. Maybe we caved.

And how much responsibility do the other legit operators bare? At least as much as we do. Do they fully train their drivers, especially on pedicab etiquette and the unwritten rules? Do they monitor their actions on the street? Some of the other operators may have insurance, etc., but are reckless and rude, flaunting the rules at every opportunity.

Now for the individual drivers out there. What's their responsibility? What have they got to lose? In some ways, more than we do. These punks are their competition. They have to deal with them every time they're out. What do they do to keep everybody in line? Do they call the cops? Do they report incidents to the parking management at the venues or someone else? Or do they just sit around and complain? What's their part in the solution? Peer pressure is a powerful force.

Can't we all just get along? That phrase is about to make me puke! When do they try to get along with us? Don't they realize that they would benefit more by working with us rather than against us? Why are we always the bad guys? Because we would hold people accountable. Because we believe that the rules and regulations apply to everyone. It's hard to be cooperative with people who don't want to cooperate.

I say ENOUGH! I'm sick of playing the games. I'm sick of being nice. I'm sick of just trying to run my own business and ignoring the stupidity of everyone else. I'm sick of trying to make things better for all the pedicab operators. NO MORE! Now you've really pissed me off!

A business associate told me last week, "Don't do this for ego; do it for money!" This is a real business for me. Not just some fly-by-night adventure. These twits are jeopardizing my business, my ability to make money. I've sunk a lot of time and energy into pedicabs. I've been working to help this fledgling industry spread its wings and take flight. I'm in this for the long haul. I'm not willing to sit back and allow a bunch of jackasses to ruin my livelihood.

I'm silent no more!