Rickshaws Bring Internet Access to Indian Villages

For 12-year-old Anju Sharma, hope for a better life arrives in her poor farming village three days a week on a bicycle rickshaw that carries a computer with a high-speed, wireless Internet connection.

Designed like temple carriages that bear Hindu deities during festivals, the brightly painted pedal-cart rolls into her village in India's most populous state, accompanied by a computer instructor who gives classes to young and old, students and teachers alike.

"By using computers, I can improve my knowledge," Sharma, whose parents plan to pull her out of school at 15, said in Hindi, before joining a class on Web cameras. "And that will help me get a job when I grow up."

The bicycle cart is the center of a project called "Infothela," or info-cart. It aims to use technology to improve education, health care and access to agricultural information in
India's villages, where most of the country's 1.06 billion people live.

Conceived in 2003 by the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, about 10 miles southwest of Bithoor, the project is funded by the national government and provides free computer classes in six villages here in Uttar Pradesh state.

Another computer on a pedicab is being used in an experiment to help doctors in Lucknow, the state capital, provide consultation to villagers through video-conferencing in nearby Saroha village. A project to disseminate the latest crop prices and farming methods is also being developed.

In Bithoor, on the banks of the Ganges River in northern India, manual labor is the alternative to farming and annual incomes rarely exceed $130. Sharma's teachers make only $11 a month. Young people look for jobs in cities, but often lose out to better-educated urbanites.

"Computers and Internet open up new opportunities for these villagers," said Lalty Dutta, a project official.

With only 12 computers and four Internet connections per 1,000 people, India has one of the world's lowest Internet usage rates and much of rural India remains oblivious to the sweep of technology. But the villages involved in Infothela all lie within a 50-mile wireless corridor created by the Institute of Technology and linked by high-rise Wi-Fi antennae and amplifiers along the highway.

Until recently, such technology was the privilege of a tiny section of Indians - engineers in the country's software hubs who earn more money while in their twenties than Bithoor farmers do in a lifetime.

India churns out 300,000 engineers each year and is a growing software power, but farmers are the backbone of its economy. Infothela seeks to break the disparity that confines access to technology and growing affluence to the cities.

Many Indian villages are poorly wired - telephone lines can go dead for weeks at a time - making wireless technology the most reliable Web connection.

The mobility of a cycle rickshaw, which is light enough to cross muddy, potholed roads, ensures that the same computer and Internet connection can be used by people in several neighboring villages. The Infothela cart has a specially designed frame and cushioning to protect the computer and accessories from the bumpy ride.

"The mobile platform is necessary to reduce cost of ownership because the resources are shared by a larger population. It is also necessary to push information to women and elderly people who can't travel outside their village," said Manoj Kumar, a project manager.

The service is free for now, but fees will eventually be charged, Kumar said.

A few miles from Bithoor, another cycle rickshaw carries its high-tech load to Gorahah village, where men and women gather side-by-side for a class on electronic mail. The mix is nothing short of a revolution in tradition-bound rural India, where women are often kept indoors.

"We are now learning computers. There is no point if we can't use that new knowledge. We have to go out and do something worthwhile," said Snehalatha, 22, who also attends college.

Clad in orange pants and a pink tunic, Snehalatha signs up for Yahoo mail, as an impatient queue lengthens behind her.

The classes teach the basics of computing, word processing, spreadsheets, Internet browsing and Web cameras. Once they learn own to use a webcam the villagers can take part in online classes, something the info-cart organizers hope to implement later.

The simple lessons are a big privilege in an Indian village, where half the population can't read or write.

In Bithoor, which is mired in tradition and poverty, Sharma's parents plan to take her out of school in about three years, so she can be trained in domestic chores and married by 18.

But a brush with computers has made Sharma look beyond cooking and washing.

"I want to work and make a name for myself. I want to see the world," she said, adding that she hopes to get a job in the city and then travel more widely.

Sharma said she has not disclosed her plans to her parents lest they stop her from attending computer classes, "But I know what I will do."

Read the original story at CBS News...

Village Bicycle Project on Current TV

Where was my bike made?

Or, who actually made my bike?

Some bike companies have a few secrets. And one of those secrets is where your bike is made or who actually made it. The bike companies like it that way because many of them rely upon the same factories to build their bikes!

The big picture is pretty clear: around 95% of the bikes sold in the U.S. are made in China or Taiwan by a handful of manufacturers of which Giant is the largest.

Generally speaking, low to mid level bikes are made in China and mid to high level bikes are made in Taiwan. The exception is carbon; many manufacturers use Chinese manufacturers to make their carbon frames – even their high-end racing frames.

When it comes to knowing where your bike is made, shouldn’t it be as easy as looking at the sticker on your bike or what is printed on the box in which your bike came? After all, how confusing can a label that says “Made in the USA” or “Made in France” or “Made in Italy” be?

Well – in a word – very. It is very confusing because your definition of “made in” is different from the bike industry’s definition.

A typical rule of thumb is that the country claiming origin has to add 60% or more of the value of the final product.

For example, you and I can import an unpainted carbon fiber racing frame from China to Spain which will ultimately retail for $4,000 with Shimano components in the United States.

The frame and fork may only cost $200 from the Chinese manufacturer. In Spain, we will paint, decal, assemble, and box the bike for shipping to the U.S.

Our cost to paint, decal, assemble, and box might be $300 and the cost of the components might be another $800.

So is this bike “Made in China” or “Made in Spain?” According to the bike industry's definition, the bike is made in Spain. The sticker will say “Made in Spain” as will the shipping box to the United States because over 60% of the value will be added in Spain.

Let’s say we take the same frame and have the Chinese manufacturer paint it, decal it, assemble it into a bicycle, and ship it to Spain. When we ship it to the United States, the label will have to say “Made in China.”

Perhaps the best way to eliminate the confusion is for the bicycle industry to follow the lead of the automobile industry and tell the end consumer the countries of origin of all aspects of the bicycle.

After all, if you are led to believe by a bunch of marketing people that your bike was handmade in Spain when it was actually mass-produced in a Chinese factory, would you buy that bike? Maybe – but you wouldn’t pay a premium for it.

With these things in mind, here is an alphabetical brand by brand run down of some key bike brands sold in the U.S. along with a few bits of trivia.

Go to the original article and list...

These standards also apply to pedicabs and other items manufactured elsewhere and sold in the United States.

Non-profit clean energy organization pedals Earth Day

SHARE 'Pedals' Earth Week from Brooklyn to Harlem

NEW YORK, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- SHARE, a non-profit clean energy organization, and the NAACP-Brooklyn Branch were joined by Assemblyman Darryl C. Towns (D-54) in hosting children from the Tilden Hall Residence, a Brooklyn refuge for displaced families. Held at the Madd Fun Family Entertainment Center in Brooklyn, the day included interactive lessons and games which allowed for a fun and informative way to educate and engage participants on the importance of environmental protection.

"The Brooklyn Branch NAACP considers environmental awareness to be an important issue for all New Yorkers, particularly the youth," said Karen Boykin-Towns, President of the Brooklyn Branch NAACP. "When our children suffer asthma rates far above the national average, we are faced with an epidemic that we can actually mitigate through education."

SHARE also released a fleet of pedi-cabs in Harlem, much to the delight of commuters not used to seeing this clean transportation alternative traveling historic 125th Street. Pedi-cab operators pedaled riders to their destinations and underscored the need for cleaner air in communities of color. The event, anchored at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building, was sponsored by SHARE, the New York State Committee of the NAACP and New York State Office of General Services.

"Whether it's the asthma epidemic or the green economy, the environment is front and center in Harlem," said Hazel Dukes, President, NAACP New York State Conference.

New York City Councilwoman Inez Dickens restated her "commitment to supporting initiatives that protect our environment," and thanked SHARE for "encouraging an environmentally healthy alternative for our City's transportation needs."

"This partnership allows us to offer resources that will improve community environmental health," said Willie Walker, Building Manager of the State Office Building.

"We believe that Earth Day is more than just a single 24 hour period," said Craig Wilson, Executive Director of SHARE. "Environmental protection needs daily focus. From supporting clean energy and transportation alternatives to educating the leaders of tomorrow, there are millions of opportunities that allow us to make Earth Day every day."

Learn more about SHARE and these events at www.SHARENY.org

SHARE, (Safe, Healthy, Affordable and Reliable Energy), is a non-profit coalition of organizations committed to ensuring the continued supply of reliable, clean and affordable electricity for all New Yorkers. SHARE, and its member organizations, are committed to working with local stakeholders in the New York metropolitan area to address these problems and provide all New Yorkers with the clean and affordable power they deserve.

DC Via Pedicab on Current TV

The Peapod: iPod meets auto

Chrysler's Peapod car uses iPhone as a car key

A new electric car from Chrysler called the Peapod sounds cute, but it may be surprisingly innovative. According to Chrysler, the car's included iPhone docking station turns your iPhone into a key, too.

According to a report on Autobloggreen, "simply dock your iPod for a fun, cutting edge way to start up. Exclusive software designed exclusively for Peapod turns your iPod into a key. Both options are interchangeable and secure." Sound familiar? The Rinspeed concept car was first to suggest the iPhone-as-key trick at the 2009 Geneva auto show.

Peapod will be the first production car with the iPhone/key technology, however. Docked in the Peapod, your iPhone will also work as a green meter showing your energy savings while driving an all-electric car, as an interface to the vehicles sound system and as a navigational system--all of which are shown in this brochure.

Electric cars from China

Electric cars in the limelight at Shanghai expo
By Li Fangfang (China Daily)

With concern of a green future and in answer to the Chinese government's appeal for energy-efficiency, global and domestic automobile manufacturers are showcasing their electric car models at the ongoing Shanghai auto show.

Troubled carmaker General Motors is displaying the production version of its Chevrolet Volt - a vehicle that delivers up to 64 km of gasoline and emission-free electric driving.

The Volt, expected to be introduced in China by 2011, uses electricity stored in its 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery to move the wheels at all times and speeds.

"Bringing the Volt to China shortly after its debut in the United States in 2010 is part of GM's commitment to sharing our latest achievements in energy diversity with our second-largest market," said Kevin Wale, president and managing director of GM China. "It will take China one step closer to its goals of clean transportation and energy freedom."

Battery and car supplier BYD Auto, backed by US billionaire investor Warren Buffett, has three electric models - F3DM, F6DM and e6 on display at the show.

The company has sold more than 80 F3DM electric cars, the first mass-produced model in the world, priced at around $22,000 each, to the Shenzhen government for tests before public use.

"We have cooperated with local government to set up around twenty 220V-charger pillars in parking lots around offices and residential areas," said Yang.

"The next step is to establish a charging station with 380V input. This will provide quick charging in 10 minutes and make the battery 70 percent full, enabling driving the car up to 70 km."

Hebei-based Great Wall Motor unveiled its GWKulla all-electric car, with plans to enter the market next year, while Chery debuted its concept battery car - the Riichi M1.

China relies on imports for nearly half of its oil. "If China continues current growth rates it will almost double oil imports by 2030," said a McKinsey report released at the end of last year. "But greater use of electric cars would cut this growth by around a quarter."

Considering the huge green potential in China, German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz is showcasing its electric concept car BlueZERO, which can run on batteries or fuel cells.

"The flexible BlueZERO concept allows electro-mobility for every requirement, and highlights the fact that Mercedes-Benz is the world's only car manufacturer to already have in place all the key technologies for electric cars offering full everyday practicality," said Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz.

Another German carmaker BMW is exhibiting its near-zero emission electric car Mini Cooper E at the show, slated for mass-production in 2010.

Japanese automaker Nissan and Toyota are also displaying their electric concept cars at the Shanghai auto show.

Photo: A new electric car made by China's Great Wall Motor displayed at the ongoing Shanghai auto show. [CFP]

Pedicabs seen as a new green business opportunity

Pedicab: A New Green Business That’s Really Revving Up
April 18, 2009 | By Joel In Earning Ideas |

An exciting new green business (Pedicab) has sprung up on a global level. The most exciting part is that it’s affordable and still in it’s infancy. We’ll show you how to deal directly with the manufacturer for great savings. As unemployment rates soar there will be great demand for opportunities such as this. Starting your own Pedicab business is easier than you think.

Green Earth Cabs (Pedicabs) are a fun and environmentally friendly way of traveling around. You can make a positive impact by showing that there is an alternative to using cars. Green Earth Cabs provide a pleasant, safe, noiseless, and pollution free form of transportation. Designed for leisure, and relatively short distance trips, they also offer a unique, exciting and profitable opportunity in the Pedicab Taxi Business. Also called (cycle rickshaws, bicycle taxis, pedal cabs, bike taxis, and human powered taxis,) these 3-wheeled power-assisted vehicles are changing the face of urban transportation in a green earth way.

Cities such as Toronto, Portland and Boston have small fleets of Pedicabs already. These fleets may be incorporated in downtown areas, parks, boardwalks and other scenic tourist areas where the city would like to cut down on traffic congestion and emissions.

Read the rest of this blog post at Earning Ideas

Golf Carts v Pedi-cabs in Austin

NOTE: You'll see our friend Ken Cameron in the video clip for this story from KVUE News.

WATCH: Battle brewing between pedi-cabs, golf carts
KVUE News

A first of its kind battle is brewing in downtown Austin between the city's dozen or so pedi-cab companies and the owner of a business who uses golf carts to taxi people around.

KVUE News has learned that Austin transportation authorities are meeting with city attorneys to figure out if golf carts can take to city streets legally.

"The city is very supportive of electric vehicles,” said Robert Spillar, the City of Austin’s Director of Transportation. “The other side to it is could it provide additional mobility? Perhaps. And then the third question is, does it provide the level of safety we think is necessary?”

Chris Nielsen, the owner of Capitol Cruisers, owns two golf carts, both of which he uses seven days a week on city streets to cart people from downtown hotels, restaurants and clubs.

"That's basically all we do, we just take people on really short trips, it's not cost effective for taxi cabs to do it and it's not environmentally responsible for them to do it," he said.

Not everyone in the city is happy about the emergence of the golf carts on downtown streets.

"When we have to deal with gypsy taxi operations who are not held to any safety standards or guidelines, then the citizens of Austin are put at risk," said Ken Cameron, a pedi-cab business owner.

Read the rest of the story and watch the video...

Portland looks to develop rules

City looks to develop rules for 'pedicabs'
One outfit pushes back; other two are happy for oversight
By Jennifer Anderson | The Portland Tribune, Apr 16, 2009

Three weeks from now, it’ll be Portland’s turn to take up the same messy issue many other large cities have been struggling with over the past couple of years.

The City Council on May 6 will discuss how to regulate pedicabs – those giant tricycles that offer short rides to tourists, bar-crawlers, wedding parties and others, mostly in the Pearl District and downtown area.

Considering the Rose City’s love affair with all things bike-related, it’s not surprising that pedicabs have quickly become part of the urban landscape since making their first appearance here seven years ago.

There are now three established pedicab companies here, with dozens of brightly colored pedicabs on the street each day. Hundreds of young people who may have been out of work now make their living as pedicab drivers, doubling as concierges as they give playful tours of the waterfront or Eastbank Esplanade.

In fact – despite their obvious eco-friendly benefits – city officials say the giant trikes have reached such a critical mass that they’ve been generating complaints, and it’s now time to regulate them.

“They’ll be out without lights, or they’ll be in a taxi stand,” said Frank Dufay, a program administrator for the city Revenue Bureau. “They’re competing with taxis without having to be regulated, pay for insurance, permits, all those kinds of things.”

Pedicab operators disagree that they’re competing with taxis; they say they’re complementing taxis instead, picking up short fares to save people from jumping in a car to get from point A to point B downtown.

“I drop people off at taxis all the time,” said Casey Martell, owner of Rose Pedals Pedicab, the first company to start here seven years ago.

Nevertheless, the city is now bringing pedicabs – as well as limousines – under the umbrella of the city’s other private “for hire” modes of transportation, which already include taxis, town cars and shuttles.

“We’re not trying to regulate the industry per se, just bring them under the regulatory umbrella for public safety,” Dufay said. “We want to be supportive.”

The code rewrite, which the City Council considers next month, would require pedicab drivers to obtain a $25 annual permit (plus pay a one-time $25 application fee) after completing a test administered by the Revenue Bureau on map-reading, local attractions and relevant city code.

Pedicab drivers – along with taxi, towncar, shuttle and limousine drivers – also would have to have valid government-issued identification, pass a criminal background check and successfully complete a driver-safety program and customer service training class administered by the Revenue Bureau.

Finally, the rules would require pedicabs to have working lights on board, pass a vehicle safety inspection and be covered with liability insurance, which all three companies already have.

Companies disagree on need for new rules

Both Martell, 41, and Jonathan Magnus, a 35-year-old communications engineer who started PDX Pedicab 2 1/2 years ago, don’t think the new rules are too onerous.

“It legitimizes the business that I own,” Martell said, appreciating the fact that the permit fee is considerably less than the $100 required for other drivers. “It’s exciting to think we’ve started something that’s come so far that it’s going to be taxed.”

Magnus actually wishes the safety demands were more stringent. “I’ve called since day one asking, ‘What can we do to have some kind of regulation?’ ” he said.

The newest, youngest and largest fleet operator in Portland, however, thinks the new regulations will spell disaster for his business, which includes a fleet of 35 pedicabs and 21 ice cream tricycles.

“This will effectively eliminate pedicabs from the city of Portland,” said Ryan Hashagen, 26, who owns Portland Cascadia Pedicabs. “I want safety regulations and accountability. But these code revisions will not accomplish that.”

Hashagen moved the headquarters of his nine-year-old Bellingham-based business to Portland last summer, after a fatal accident caused him to shut his operation in Seattle. According to Seattle news reports, one of his drivers was unable to stop after coming down a steep hill, ran a red light and collided with a minivan. One of the pedicab passengers, a 60-year-old man, died. Hashagen said the crash wasn’t due to equipment failure, but declined to elaborate.

The accident brought immediate scrutiny to the industry, as city officials realized there were no special licenses or training required to operate pedicabs beyond what each operator offers.

Hashagen, who also runs fleets in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Eugene, said he has trained 214 drivers in Portland in both a classroom and road curriculum he’s developed. While two-thirds of them don’t have drivers’ licenses (because they get around by bike), they still read the state drivers’ manual and submit to a written test he administers.

“We teach them a sense of responsibility,” he said. Hashagen’s pool of 120 active drivers here lease their vehicle one or two days a week and act as independent contractors, sometimes making up to $300 or $400 each night, even though they work for “tips” only.

Butch Miller, a Broadway Cab driver and representative on the Revenue Bureau’s review board, said that despite the pedicabs’ objections, the new regulations are critical – especially considering the accident in Seattle.

“My vehicle gets checked twice a year by a certified mechanic,” he said. “They can take it to a bike shop and have someone check those things twice a year.”
A flamboyant industry

The three pedicab companies in town offer more than just different kinds of trikes. They’ve each got their own personalities.

Magnus’ bright orange cabs make much of their revenue through rear-panel advertising and transporting people to neighborhood- or company-based special events. For that reason, professionalism is paramount, and many of his drivers for his eight cabs are college or graduate students.

Both he and Martell say they plan to expand this summer, hoping eventually to service places across the river such as the Hawthorne district.

Martell had partnered with Hashagen when he first arrived in Portland last year, but the merger didn’t last long as the two had different styles and ideas.

Now Martell, a former events stagehand who employs six drivers for his three cabs, sees the whole debate over regulations as tiresome. “It’s causing an unnecessary uproar among the drivers,” he said. “The city’s working with us on every aspect of it.”

Martell actually pioneered the way for pedicab operators today, having challenged the city in court shortly after starting up in 2002. He had been kicked out of Tom McCall Waterfront Park by police because he didn’t have a vendors’ license.

Since he only accepts tips for rides, Martell argued in court that he wasn’t selling anything, and was finally allowed access in the park.

Now, the park is one of the common training grounds for new drivers learning to operate a pedicab, which is a lot different than a bike, Martell says. “You’re driving instead of riding,” he said. “A pedicab drives like a car.”

Martell said his drivers tend to be would-be entertainers and other artistic types who have friendly people skills. Many have marketing or canvassing experience. After all, they’ve got a business to sell.

He said they’ve been known to do almost anything to attract positive attention: everything from wearing costumes – tutus, superhero tights and fairy and angel wings are common – to dancing on top of their cab platforms outside a nightclub.

Most of Hashagen’s drivers, meanwhile, are what he describes as “scruffy” 20-somethings who also love to wear wings along with their piercings and tattoos. They tend to be “everyone from PSU students to zoo-bombers,” he said, referencing the cultish ritual of hauling down the West Hills by bike. “You can call it ‘trike punk.’ ”

Jonathan Maus, who follows the pedicab trends closely on his blog, BikePortland.org, says he’s glad to see the pedicabs come onto the city’s official radar. “The city needs to figure out what to do with them,” he said. “They’re big, they’re not a bike, not a car. They’re in this gray area. … If they don’t make a specific regulation or policy on how to deal with it, it’s going to be problem.”

JONATHAN HOUSE / TRIBUNE PHOTO (Above)
Portland Cascadia Pedicab owner Ryan Hashagen picks up visitors Juan Galindo and Nora Bethune in Old Town for a short ride. As the city’s newest pedicab operator, Hashagan is also the most outspoken against proposed pedicab regulations.

Recommended: Push-button Padlock

Another item we highly recommend to pedicab operators is a push-button padlock. In fact, these are great little locks we'd recommend for use anywhere visibility is an issue. The only negative is that the combination is pre-set so you can't change it.

I hate to admit it, but now that I'm getting a bit older I need reading glasses. When I'm in a hurry or don't want to be embarrassed in front of my much younger drivers, it's so much easier to open these push-button locks without having to pull out my glasses.

Incidentally, these are great for anyone looking for a lock that's easy to see and easy to use -- even if they're not working with pedal cabs. A great gift for older or blind individuals.

They may be hard to find. In fact, I've never seen them at my local big-box hardware store. But you can always find them at Amazon.com.

City of Portland responds to Hashagen's concerns

City refutes pedicab owner’s allegations
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor) on April 13th, 2009 at BikePortland.org

Last week, we published an interview with Portland Cascadia Pedicabs owner Ryan Hashagen. In it, Hashagen shared serious concerns about new policies being crafted by the City of Portland’s Revenue Bureau that would bring pedicabs under regulation for the first time.

Hashagen told BikePortland, and many other local media outlets, that if the regulations went forward as currently proposed he (and other pedicab company owners and pedicab operators) would “cease to operate”*. Hashagen feels that they have not had enough time to digest proposed changes and influence the policy-making process.

Because the proposed new regulations involve licensing of pedicabs, the policy is being written by the city’s Revenue Bureau. On Friday afternoon, I received an email from the Revenue Bureau that refutes all of Hashagen’s allegations.

Hashagen has claimed that the regulations “do not address our safety concerns.” The Revenue Bureau says that the new regulations would require safety inspections of pedicabs along with criminal background checks of operators and “proof of traffic law knowledge” which could come as either a driver’s license or completion of a “Bureau-approved in-house training by the pedicab company.”

Regarding background checks, the Revenue Bureau wrote that they were “not willing to exempt pedicab drivers from criminal background checks considering that they are transporting tourists and citizens and safety is paramount.” In their email, the Revenue Bureau characterized Hashagen’s concern about this as stemming from the fact that, “several of his drivers would not have met this requirement”.

When I asked him about this today, Hashagen said, “Of course, I don’t want criminals on my crews”. But Hashagen feels the City is mis-characterizing his perspective. He says pedicab operators brought up a concern about a section of Code (16.40.080, Sec. E (1, A)) that says someone cannot get a permit if they have a misdemeanor “involving theft, robbery, burglary, assault, sex crimes, drugs, prostitution, or weapons” going back 5 years.

Hashagen says those operators are young and that some of them have midemeanors for Minor In Possession of alcohol and that one operator got caught shoplifting for food when he first moved to Portland, “because he was broke”.

The proposed regulations initially required a driver’s license, but the city says they removed that requirement after hearing feedback from pedicab industry reps that many operators didn’t have one.

Hashagen has also said that the new regulations are “purely focused on generating revenue for the revenue bureau.” In response, the City summed up the fees — $25 for drivers, $25 per pedicab, $100 for a pedicab company, and so on — which they say “amounts to approximately 14 cents per day”.

(By comparison, permit fees for sedan drivers are: $100 for drivers, $225 per vehicle and $500 per company.)

At $25 per pedicab operator, the Revenue Bureau says they will “actually lose money” after expending the staff hours and resources to conduct all the background checks, skills tests, take permit photos, and so on. They also pointed out that the permit price does not take into account the resources they’ll need to enforce the permits and/or make random checks.

When asked about this today, Hashagen said he has no problem with the permitting fees. What he’s concerned about are the fines for “driver conduct” that are being proposed. A $500 fine for “being discourteous to a passenger” is being proposed and Hashagen says he’s worried that this will compromise his driver’s ability to “establish a safe space [in their pedicab] through assertiveness”.

Another allegation made by Hashagen was that the City had not “done their homework” by talking with existing stakeholders. To counter that allegation, the City detailed their involvement with pedicab business owners dating back to October 2008. At that time, they say Casey Martell of PDX Rose Pedal Pedicabs approached them and said he wanted to set up a meeting with the Revenue Bureau. “City staff agreed to attend the meeting,” they wrote in an email to me Friday, “but Mr. Martel did not set one up.”

The City also outlined that they have held eight public workshops and monthly Revenue Board meetings and that all the information has been posted on the Bureau’s website and emailed to all parties.

However, Hashagen still maintains that he and others have not been adequately informed and included in the process, especially compared to other stakeholders like limousine and taxi drivers. He says the eight public workshops were well attended by taxi, towncar, and shuttle operators but that “we had no idea this was going on.”

As for Hashagen’s claim that the City wanted pedicab operators to “have pollution control devices and fire extinguishers”, the City says he simply misread the proposed Code and that they were, “not mandating that new equipment be installed”.

Hashagen has also publicly alleged that the City wants to require pedicab operators to have auto insurance. The Revenue Board refutes this allegation. They say they are still researching how best to handle the insurance question and that they are still working to finalize the Code language (a fact they say has been made clear at meetings where pedicab company owners have been present).

The final allegation made by Hashagen in our video last week was that the Revenue Board would only meet once more at a work session “with no public comment allowed”. The Revenue Board says that allegation is also untrue. On April 15th, the Board is meeting for public input and discussion. After that meeting, they say they will issue a new draft version of regulations that “take into account these comments and discussion.”

I discussed the Revenue Bureau’s challenges to Hashagen’s allegations at length with him today. He remains very frustrated and says that the City is only “covering their butts and backpedaling” now that the story is out in the media.

Hashagen maintains that the first time he saw draft Code language was on February 22nd and that he was told back then that the City wasn’t even sure they would be regulating pedicabs. Hashagen then says he was not notified of any new proposed Code until about 10 days ago. He says he only had a few days to get up to speed and comment on 38 pages of new Code that impacted his business.

Now, he says, “I’m as involved as I can be now that I know this is all happening.”

Hashagen feels like the pedicab industry has not received the same level of communication and involvement with this process as other private, for-hire vehicle interests. “Why do these other stakeholders deserve a 2-year long process,” he wondered, “and we can just be thrown in at the last minute with no thought, no invitation, and no correspondence?”

Hashagen says the City has not done an adequate job including pedicabs because they have had their hands full dealing with myriad other groups that also have a stake in these new policies. “They just don’t want this [pedicab stuff] to be an issue…so copy and paste policy is what they’re doing. This is last-minute legislation for us.”

At this point, Hashagen is hastily organizing with other pedicab company owners to form a new association that can represent their interests. Because of his many concerns with the proposed Code, Hashagen wants the Revenue Board to completely exclude pedicabs from this round of new regulations and form a pedicab policy task force that would then work with the Revenue Board on any future policies.

The new pedicab association is set to meet this week.

Download a PDF of the latest draft of the new “Private For Hire Proposed Code Rewrite”.

Photo: Casey Martell of Rose Pedal Pedicabs (See this an other photos by BikePorland at Flickr)

[*Note from J. Maus (4/14, 9:30 am): I initially reported that Hashagen said the new regulations would "kill his business". Hashagen never said that. It was my mistake. I have edited the story and I regret the error.]

More about regulations in Portland

Pedicab business owner concerned about proposed regulations
Posted at BikePortland.org

The City of Portland is currently in the process of updating their “private for hire transportation” policies. As part of this update, and partially at the request of local pedicab operators, they will also be regulating pedicabs for the first time.

The growth of pedicabs has skyrocketed in Portland in recent years in large part due to new businesses like PDX Pedicabs and Portland Cascadia Pedicabs.

Ryan Hashagen, owner of Portland Cascadia Pedicabs, is all for new regulations. He wants pedicabs to be treated as legitimate businesses and he wants customers to know they’ll be assured a safe ride. Hashagen knows all to well about the importance of safety. In August of 2008 one of his Seattle-based pedicabs was involved in a crash that left a 60-year old man dead.

However, Hashagen is very concerned that the city’s proposed regulations will effectively kill his business (and that of other pedicab operators). Hashagen contends that they were written by “auto-centric interests” and that they are based more on an interest in generating revenue (through licensing fees) than by safety concerns. Hashagen has been making the rounds to the local media and he has become an outspoken critic of the way the city has handled the issue thus far.

He stopped by our office today and I asked him to share more about his concerns. Watch the video interview below.


Photo: Ryan Hashagen, owner of Portland Cascadia Pedicabs, is concerned about new regulations. (Photo © J. Maus)

Regulations coming to Portland OR?

City Moves to Regulate Pedicabs
Posted at the Portland Mercury | Blogtown

Unlike taxis, limos and towncars, Portland's pedicabs are completely unregulated by the city. But today the board of Portland's Private For-Hire Transportation Board voted to approve regulations that will bring pedicab training and licensing under city control for the first time. The board was not originally planning to regulate pedicabs when it embarked on the year-long process of overhauling its Private For-Hire Transportation Regulations but, as planner Frank Dufay put it, "It just kept coming up."

Portland has seen an explosion of pedicabs recently. A few years ago, says Rose Pedal pedicabs owner Casey Martell, there were only three or four bike powered cabs in the city, most going out just in the summer. Last March, Cascadia Cabs moved into town with over a dozen cabs running year round. With more cabs come more safety concerns. A Cascadia Cabs crash in Seattle this summer killed a 60-year-old passenger.

"I want the citizens of Portland to know that we're a legitimate form of transportation, we're not just punk kids welding tricycles together," says Ryan Hashagen, who owns the multi-city Cascadia Cabs. "But they basically just took the taxi regulations and applied them to pedicabs. They fit us into the code and they didn't put a lot of thought into it." Today at the meeting on the regulations, Hashagen spoke out forcefully against the city's rules. "These regulations will effectively eliminate pedicabs from the city," Hashagen said, asking the board to drop pedicabs from the code and assemble a pedicab specific task force. He complained that the process had not been transparent.

"For the record, will you note that the last speaker was invited to attend [a meeting with us] about eight weeks ago," replied board member Sue Kloberantz sharply. "I wasn't aware of that!" shouted Hashagen from the crowd, "I never received any emails!"

"We're not looking to keep people from making a living, we're watching out for public safety," explains board member Dufay. Under the new regulations, pedicab drivers will have to complete a city-approved driver safety and customer service class and pass a test on Portland geography, tourist attractions and traffic laws. They will also pay $50 for an official permit, which the city can deny if the driver has arrests on his or her record. Hashagen worried that requirement would ban some of his drivers. "Individuals use this job as a stepping stone, they don't all have clean records," says Hashagen.

But Dufay says each application will be evaluated individually. "We're not really concerned if someone got busted for pot seven years ago in college, but if someone's been convicted for assaulting a person, that's a bigger issue," says Dufay.

Much more on the regulations + other pedicab owners' opinions below the cut!

Part of the issue is that the draft regulations have been frequently rewritten during the process. The version of the regulations available Monday on the city's website required pedicab drivers to have a valid drivers license and individual insurance. Hashagen says these two rules would knock him out of business (60 percent of his riders don't have driver's licenses) and estimates insurance would cost each rider $2200 a year. Upon arriving at the meeting today, pedicabbers learned the board had decided to nix the drivers license rule, now requiring riders to need only a valid state ID. The insurance question is still up for debate, pending more research. Hashagen frantically paged through the regulations to see what else had changed before the comment period opened. One member of the board and several town car/taxi owners raised the same concern about routinely receiving final drafts of regulations at the last minute.

At today's packed final meeting on the regulations, the different driver demographics were clear: mostly older male limo drivers took up two rows of seats (bluetooth cell phones, leather jackets proliferating) and one row of seats was lined with scruffy-haired pedicab pedalers in bright colors, lacy tights and bike helmets.

"I'm definitely down with keeping it safe, that's awesome," said Luna Littleleaf, who bought a pedicab on eBay with plans to start an independent pedicab company this summer and is in favor of most of the regulations. Rose Pedal Pedicabs owner Casey Martell has no problem with any of the regulations and also felt good about the city process that created them. "It was bound to happen one day and it's cool that they're letting us get in there and have a say about it," says Martell.

The regulations will go before city council on May 6th. The rules won't likely go into effect until September at the earliest.

Photo: Cascadia Pedicab owner Ryan Hashagen, showing off a cab (and his formal wear) outside the pedicab HQ

Recommended: Air Compressor

Spring is here and pedicab fleets across North America are ramping up for the summer season. To support fleet owners, I thought I'd share some of the things that have helped us in our business. Some of these things you may have thought of and implimented in your operation already. Some may be new ideas. Either way, I hope you'll comment and let us know what you think.

If we had to choose one item that made the biggest impact on our operation it would have to be the air compressor. We say that it was the smartest purchase we ever made. It's a small portable electric compressor similar to the one pictured. For our purposes we only needed a small compressor, so it was a relatively inexpensive purchase.

The compressor is used mostly as a tire pump. The maximum pressure (psi) can be set to that needed in tires for pedicabs. Because it's so easy to use, drivers are more willing to check and adjust the air in their tires. Since implementing the compressor, we've had few, if any, pinch flats which has saved time and money replacing tubes.

We periodically go through all the cabs, checking brakes, tires, spokes, etc. As we check each cab, it's a simple process to test the tire pressure with the gauge on the compressor and add air as needed. Manual tire pumps are carried in the cabs and saved for on-street repairs. We also have air tools we can use that make repair and maintenance much easier, especially removing sticky or rusty bolts.

If you're looking for a way to make your business run smoother and save money, look for a small portable air compressor. For more information about available models, check out this List of Portable Compressors at Amazon.com.

Will the PUMA replace the pedicab?

GM / Segway Project PUMA Concept - Auto Shows
A personal electric transporter for city folk.

By Jordan Brown, Car and Driver

A seemingly unlikely pair, General Motors and Segway, have teamed up to create a new type of personal transport vehicle. Dubbed Project PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility) and introduced at the New York auto show, the two-wheeled electric vehicle is essentially an upsized and modified Segway scooter with seating for two.

The Project PUMA vehicle is roughly one-sixth the size of the average car, is capable of 35 mph, and has a range of 35 miles. The PUMA also differs from the basic Segway in that it is driven from a seated position via an aircraft-like yoke. Utilizing dual electric in-wheel motors powered by a lithium-ion battery, the PUMA uses the same balancing technology as its smaller brother—although it leans forward onto a second set of wheels for greater stability during loading and unloading.

GM and Segway have also proposed the possibility of equipping PUMAs with vehicle-to-vehicle communication technologies, allowing for autonomous driving and parking. One problem, however, is that all other vehicles within the operating area of the PUMA would need to be linked into the same communications network to avoid collisions, and as of right now, that technology doesn’t seem realistic.

The companies have considered releasing the vehicle sans the autonomous driving technology, and we may actually see working versions on the road before the next millennium. With sale prices expected to be of that for a conventional car—and with electric power and zero local emissions to boot—this may be a viable solution for quick runs around town if you live in a heavily populated area (unless you don’t like looking like a nerd.)

Segway and GM tell us the current concept will be ready for further testing at some point later this year, with a next-generation prototype ready in early 2010—of which we can expect more robustness, higher performance, and (thankfully) more attractive body skins. The ability to connect two PUMAs together in a four-seat configuration is also being considered. Various kinks still need to be worked out before a production model is anywhere near ready for release, but there is no technology utilized by the PUMA that isn’t already in existence. And while the concept seems conceivable, we expect it will be a long time before you see any PUMAs stalking a city near you.

See more photos at CarandDriver.com...