Look Ma! No pedals!

Along for the ride
Edinburg man makes his rickshaw a business venture

February 1, 2008

By James Osborne

Late at night, outside your neighborhood bar or eatery, Frank Moses is waiting to give you a ride.

“All over Sierra Leone, people ride in rickshaws,” said the 52-year-old Sierra Leone native.

“Here it’s mostly for fun. Maybe a couple wants a ride around the block. I entertain them, tell them about Africa.”

Better known as “The Frank Man,” Moses is trying to initiate car-loving Valleyites to the joys of the rickshaw, a traditional man-pulled taxi popular across Asia and Africa.

So far business has been sporadic — earlier this week Moses said he’d just come back from a night outside the McAllen Convention Center where he earned about $30 — but it’s done nothing to diminish Moses’s enthusiasm.

A non-stop, philosophizing, entrepreneurial mass of energy, Moses left Sierra Leone in 1980 for Canada. He studied at the University of Winnipeg, where he met his wife, Kathy, and out walking one day saw another man running a rickshaw.

Inspired, Moses borrowed a neighbor’s welding equipment, collected the necessary scrap metal and before long was running his own rickshaw — or rick-e-shaw, as he calls it.

“I even did it in the snow,” he said.

“I designed a gliding rickshaw with runners so I could make more money in the winter.”

Moses moved to Edinburg with his wife and three children in 1998 and now studies at the University of Texas-Pan American.

Whether he’s rummaging through boxes that appear not to have been opened in a decade, looking for a traditional African musical instrument, or dusting off his dancing shoes, Moses is the sort of person who sees a potential business opportunity wherever he turns. Recently he rented a vacant space in Falfurrias with the intentions of putting on a musical and comedy one-man show.

The rickshaw business is but one of Moses’s countless passions, which extend from soccer to drama to preaching against violence.

Moses left Sierra Leone before civil war broke in 1991, a bloody, 11-year conflict that left tens of thousands dead. But he says a number of his relatives were killed, including an aunt who he was told was massacred by soldiers.

“Had I been in Sierra Leone I probably would have died five times already,” Moses said.

James Osborne covers McAllen and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at
(956) 683-4428.

If you’re in the mood for a ride: Call “The Frank Man” at (956) 342-2491

Pedicab Police Pursuit

Pedal power helps police

PEDAL power came to the rescue of police officers in pursuit of a man in Hereford.

Two rickshaw-style pedicabs helped two officers needing to urgently assist colleagues on the city's Castle Green.

A police pursuit unfolded when PC Ann-Marie Rosier and PC Sue Beament received an emergency distress call from officers trying to arrest a man.
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Knowing it would take too long on foot and unable to get there by patrol car, the officers were faced with a dilemma - until Hereford's two pedicabs pedalled into view.

The pedicabs had just dropped off a fare and were immediately pressed into police action and their riders - Ben Matthews and Will Vaughan - pedalled furiously to the other side of the Green with the officers on board.

"Our colleagues were some distance away and in need of urgent assistance but we couldn't get there by car," said PC Rosier. "We knew that if we ran the distance it may take too long and when we arrived we probably would not have been in the best condition to help out our colleagues - so when the pedicabs turned up we used out initiative and hopped on board."

PC Beament added that Will and Ben did a fantastic job in getting them there so quickly.

"They really got into the spirit of it and were ringing their bells to warn people we were coming," she said. "I even tried making a siren noise myself - but the bells were far more effective!"

At the scene the officers were quickly able to assist with the arrest and the man was taken to Hereford Police Station. He was later remanded into custody for his breach of bail and the assault of a police officer.

Both officers have thanked Will and Ben for their public-spirited efforts in the June chase and a generous tip will be handed over for the impromptu ride.

**********************************************************
This story has gotten a lot of press. So much so that they started a blog about it.
Mules for the Masses (Blog)
This is the police! We need your pedicab! (South Africa)
Calling all rickshaws! (UPI)
Rickshaws used by police in chase (BBC)
Police use rickshaws to get to crime scene (London Times)
Pedicab operator helps catch fugitive (CBS)
London Officers Commandeer Pedicab to Nab Fugitive (Law Enforcement News)
**********************************************************
Update Jun 17, 2007
This story has really caught fire! More articles popped up over the weekend:
International Herald Tribune (France)
Forbes.com
L.A. Times
San Diego Union Tribune

Amsterdam learning from NYC

From the May 1, 2007 article in the Nieuws uit Amsterdam

‘Stricter rules bicycle taxi’

New York has introduced stricter rules for bicycle taxis; France wants to allow cyclists to jump red lights and London found that it may in fact be safer to do so. Useful lessons for Amsterdam?

As a bicycle-friendly city, Amsterdam is often seen as an example for the rest of the world. However, lessons can be learned from other cities as well.

BICYCLE TAXI
The New York Municipality recently introduced stricter regulations for bicycle taxis. They must have good brakes and lights, must be insured, may no longer use electric motors, and may no longer use bicycle lanes. In addition, the number of pedicabs will be limited to 325, while some estimate that there are now 500 to 600.

Businesses located near Broadway had complained about congestions caused by bicycle taxis aggressively trying to attract customers among the theatre-goers. Many bicycle taxi drivers themselves found that some sort of regulation should be introduced, even though they find the current regulations excessive.

An independent bicycle taxi driver complained in the New York Post about fleet owners importing ‘foreign pedalers’ who ignore traffic regulations and give bicycle taxis a bad name. “It's like the Wild West out there. It's completely out of control”.

In Amsterdam, only 30 licenses for bicycle taxis have been issued, 15 of which are used by the Wielertaxi company, tells co-owner Richard Nijssen. In the future, he would like to expand to 20 to 25 bicycle taxis.

According to Nijssen, research shows that bicycle taxis mix well with normal bicycle traffic. “Only someone who is really in a hurry might get stressed if he cannot pass immediately”. Only if the number of bicycle taxis would grow substantially, stricter regulations might be needed, said Nijssen.

Nijssen does get occasional complaints about traffic violations. “Sometimes they have a high adrenaline level and they do sometimes jump red lights”, Nijssen said. “We advise anybody not to do this in busy traffic”.

At times, cyclists bump into a bicycle taxi if it brakes more abruptly than expected. According to Nijssen, this is not really a big issue: “During the three years I have been active as a bicycle taxi driver, I have had at most one incident involving angry cyclists per year”.

De Lange of the Fietsersbond paints a less positive picture. “We get quite a lot of complaints about bicycle taxis, especially about them blocking the way on narrow bicycle lanes. It so happens that bicycle taxis are wide and slow and they are active in the city centre where everything is narrow and tight”.

The Fietsersbond has not yet taken a stand on bicycle taxis, but if the number of licenses is to increase, there should be a debate. One might for example consider banning bicycle taxis from certain routes during rush hour, said De Lange.

She said it is conceivable that reducing car traffic in the city centre would create more room for bicycle taxis.

As yet, there seems to be no reason to introduce stricter rules on brakes. Wielertaxi’s bicycle taxis have brakes that were designed for motorcycles. According to Nijssen, you have to have good brakes, especially if you go down a bridge with a 150 kg taxi plus driver and passengers.

Wielertaxi’s taxis have a support motor. One can hardly do without in a city with so many bridges, said Nijssen. What is more, they use environmentally friendly electronic motors.

Sixty percent of bicycle taxi clients are tourists. In addition, there are Amsterdammers who consider the bicycle taxi a serious mode of transportation, claims Nijssen, among them people who are going out.

Bicycle taxis might come to play a more important role if regulations for regular taxis become stricter and when new technology becomes available, increasing the capacity of the batteries and making the taxis lighter without compromising comfort and safety.

Thanks, Trixi, for leading me to this story.

Denver City Council Candidate Supports Pedicabs

Julie Connor is running for Denver City Council for District 7. We met her at an event celebrating the new Light Rail stop in the Washington Park neighborhood. From the start, Julie was very intrigued by and supportive of pedicabs in Denver.

Quite a contrast. We read and hear a lot about other cities who view pedicabs as a dangerous threat. Take a look at what's happening in Hoboken, New York City and London, for example. It was quite refreshing to meet someone running for election who is pro-pedicab, understanding the valuable service they provide to the community. Sure wish some of these other cities would talk to Julie before they cast their votes.

She included this photo in an email we received from her Friday reminding everyone to vote before May 1.

One of the key components of her platform is "Promoting an environmental ethos citywide." That includes alternative green transportation like pedicabs. You may see her riding her cruiser bicycle to and from the office.

From the Downtown Denver Partnership questionnaire:

Q: What are your priorities for addressing bicycle and transit access for Denver,
especially between Downtown and other neighborhoods? How should this be balanced with automobile access?
A: I favor on-street or on-sidewalk bike lanes, more bike racks and additional connections to regional trails. Part of encouraging multi-modal transit means deemphasizing auto transit, which is not always popular. While planning for the auto will be part of the process, we need to make hard decisions when accommodating other forms of getting around versus accommodating autos.

In her Rocky Mountain News profile, Julie describes herself as "the unabashed environmentalist of the candidate slate."

We enjoyed meeting Julie Connor and support her for Denver City Council.

The Economist backs pedicabs

Regulation threatens a booming business with, er, a cyclical downturn

A PEDICAB borrowed from a friend for a conference on pedestrianisation in 1990 got Steve Meyer pedalling what is now a fast-moving business. Hoping to liven up the often-deserted streets of downtown Denver, his hometown, he bought two of the bicycle taxis. But they did not work very well, so he started building what has since become the industry standard, with 21 gears, hydraulic brakes and so on. His firm, Main Street Pedicabs, now caters to rising demand both in America and abroad.

Alas, regulation in two of the biggest markets for pedicabs threatens to puncture Mr Meyer's upbeat mood. Last month New York's city council voted to impose onerous rules on the hitherto unregulated pedicab industry and to limit the number of pedicabs to 325. A protest prompted Michael Bloomberg, New York's mayor, to veto the new rules, apparently out of entrepreneurial fellow feeling for the pedicab drivers, but the city council is likely to override his veto, perhaps as soon as next week.

Pedicabs first started operating in in the mid-1990s, but their numbers soared from around 100 to over 500 after they featured in an episode of Donald Trump's business reality-television contest, “The Apprentice”, in 2004. For the sort of fit youngster who wants a flexible job—many drivers in New York are actors or students—it pays well: $300 on a good day, though typically half that. The cost of entry is low, perhaps $4,500, compared with $400,000 for a yellow-taxi medallion.

Pedicabs are under attack in London, too, where an estimated 400 operate. Transport for London, a regulatory body, is reviving its controversial claim that pedicabs should be regulated as “hackney carriages”, like the city's black cabs. Chris Smallwood, chairman of the London Pedicab Operators Association and boss of Bugbugs, a 60-strong pedicab firm, says treating pedicabs like black cabs would impose unbearable costs on the industry. He has helped to draft an amendment to a bill now before the House of Lords that would introduce lighter pedicab regulations.

There is striking agreement between the pedicab trade groups in both London and New York that some sort of regulation is needed, not least to deter rogue operators. But current proposals seem to serve the interests of motor-taxi drivers, who want their rivals off the road.

The irritation is that pedicabs do not compete much with motor-taxis, say Messrs Meyer and Smallwood. Pedicab journeys tend to be the short trips that drivers of gas-guzzling taxis hate most. Pedicabs' main competition is walking, says Mr Meyer, who points out that if New York's 12,000 yellow cabs were replaced with pedicabs, “there would be a lot less congestion”. Here's hoping that politicians on both sides of the Atlantic cast their votes for pedal power.

This article, "On your bike: Regulation threatens a booming business with, er, a cyclical downturn", was printed in the April 19th edition of The Economist.

A perfect melding of function with affordable luxury

On Yer Bike: February, 20, 2007

I'm always haranguing readers to try the latest cycle fads around Oxford. Be it cyclo-cross, Bike Quest, bike polo . . . you name it, I've been and had a look, but have I actually got my bum on the saddle? No, idly not. So, in a fit of enthusiasm last week, I booked an Oxon Cart to take me and my fiancée from Divinity Road to Jericho.

The ride cost £15, which included a red rose stem for each pair of Valentine's passengers. Georgia accepted ours and I didn't demur, though I don't know what would have happened in the event of two Valentines demanding one. I suspect they wouldn't have wanted to rock the cart. The verdict? Fantastic! A perfect melding of function with affordable luxury. An Oxford must-do. I've travelled widely in Asia, where pedicabs are a usual way from A to B.

In this cold, congested country, pedicabs take on an altogether more exotic, magical allure. Until they become more widely used and seen, passengers can expect bemused glances from pedestrians and jealous waves from kids stuck in traffic-jammed cars. As we cruised along Cowley Road at less than 20 mph, cars and buses either held back or gave us a pleasantly wide berth.

Our driver gave us a blanket to keep the evening air from our legs, and I was glad as otherwise, after 15 minutes' sitting pretty in a pedicab, we'd have been hypothermic. Halfway over Magdalen Bridge, the cycle lane took us past dozens of buses to the front of the roadworks. Cyclists loved being around the cart, while bus passengers looked on helplessly.

The pedicab followed the bike routes along Turl Street, Broad Street, Magdalen Street and St Giles, then down the Little Clarendon Street contraflow to deposit us safely, soundly and feeling suitably romantic, outside Bangers and Mash in Walton Street. The ride was comfy, interesting (drivers are either students or bikey locals), fun, quick and left us feeling more pampered than anything else.

Way cool photo!

Just found this excellent photo from Trixi at Rickshaw Forum. Along with many other shots of pedicabs/rickshaws from around the world, you'll find this one in the photo gallery.

Strike out not granted

There are on-going efforts to shut down pedicab service in London. The London Pedicab Operators Assoc. continues to do battle on behalf of the pedicab industry, but things may not be going their way. We stand in solidarity and wish them luck.

Strike out not granted - Rickshawforum