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The Alive wrote
Pedal pushers
By Brittany Kress
May 22, 2008
Cycling through High Street traffic while pulling two adults in a carriage on wheels isn’t as easy as it sounds. Oh, right. It doesn’t sound easy.
But a month into business for Columbus’ startup foot-powered pedicab service, people are into it, with drivers excited about getting paid to get fit and riders interested in supporting a green business.
ETC Pedicabs is a Downtown-centric service that kicked off at the beginning of the month and operates whenever Mike Sorboro’s loose association of drivers wants to troll the area — usually on nights and weekends.
Comments
- revolutionist: @Taz, Don't be surprised by this, there are plenty of folks who have had
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- itinerantfoodie: Not one mention of Huntington Park or their sparse advertising. (Seriously
- Liz Samuelson: Why can't they just pay someone to do it versus a contest? I really like t
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ETC Pedicabs provides new transit option Downtown
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I saw one of these at the Race for the Cure and suddenly had to remind myself that I wasn’t in NYC (where they do a great business). It’s a great idea for tourism, especially since they’re less annoying than taxis and less expensive (I hope) than horse buggies
This would be an awesome job…get exercise and money at the same time!
Edit – Hmmmmm…I just called and got voicemail…wonder if the Alive article is giving them more business than they can handle?
That, or they just don’t get up early. :lol:
The guy who started this is from my hometown! He probably has no recollection of me, but I know he played soccer… guess those soccer legs really CAN earn you money!
I think it’s a good idea, although they’re more annoying than cabs (but less annoying than soccer).
we have these in my home town (dewey beach). i love them.
they don’t charge though, its all tip.
my sister’s boyfriend does it and he averages around $300 a night
well, this actually kinds of scares me with columbus drivers… i fear it wont be long until we hear of an accident in the news..
i think it is a good idea tho. so i like it! ^^
Saw that guy like a week or so ago downtown, he wasn’t getting much business. He’s not the first, was a kid from around the old towne area here that did it occasionally, same for the arena district a few years ago. The look on that guys face when he saw me do a couple quick hop skids on my fixed gear was priceless. Downtown Columbus is pretty small and not very dense, pedicabs are gonna have a tough time of it. Hope they carry liability insurance, which is likely fairly expensive, enough so to probably keep them from ever showing a profit.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
BY KEVIN JOY
A day of shopping, drinks and dinner at La Fogata Grill in the Short North had taken its toll. Walking back to their car, parked at the North Market, seemed too much. Thanks to a pedicab — a bicycle-powered, rickshawlike vehicle — Thaddeus Brown and Janet Irizarry were quickly en route, breezing past congested Gallery Hop sidewalks.
Their chariot was provided by ECT Pedicab, a month-old company that’s banking on novelty and eco-friendliness to attract tourists, nightclub-hoppers and High Street hipsters on low-cost trips between hot spots.
“We pride ourselves on being a 100 percent emissions-free, human-powered, short-haul transportation alternative,” owner Mike Sorboro said. “It’s something we needed here.”
READ MORE
The dispatch article is mistaken. The other pedicab company that I have worked for is still in town. Capitol City Pedicabs never left.
This can be very profitable at events. Last ComFest, I made $600 driving the pedicab, and OSU football games are great too since those fans tend to be drunk and money falls out of their wallet and into mine. I also been offered a BJ and BBQ Ribs in exchange for rides, but I turned them down since BJ’s and food are free.
But there is not enough activity, money, or need in this small town to justify a fleet of cabs.
Billy Joel offered you his services?
No, Bon Jovi. :P
The only time I ever rode one of these things was when I was in San Diego last summer. I always saw pedicabs as more of a touristy thing.
Bon Jovi pays me.
Pedicabs are pretty amazing, for so many reasons. It’s vernacular transportation.
“You want to go where? Yeah, I had a Beanie Burger or two so I’ve got the ATP for that. Just tip me.”
October 29, 2008
By Sara Gentry
It started out like any normal weekend night. The sidewalks were packed, and High Street was bustling with traffic. Everything was right with the world, until I saw something that made me stop dead in my tracks. It was a man-powered mode of transportation; part bicycle, part wagon. My first thought was an episode of “Seinfeld”; you know the one where Kramer hires a homeless person to act as a human taxi. Like a minimalist version of a carriage (minus the horse), this four-wheeled hauling device zoomed passed me, determined to reach its destination. Confounded, I became determined to identify these peculiar peddling people. I would eventually come to learn the nature of these curious contraptions, and can now confidently conclude their identity. They are called Pedicabs and are quickly becoming a popular way of getting around. This unique and eco-friendly idea is already established in states such as Florida, California, and Colorado, but was an innovative concept for Mike Sorboro, the man who put the notion into motion and brought them to Columbus.
READ MORE
Just obey normal bike traffic laws is all I ask. Don’t squeeze between the right lane of traffic and parallel-parked cars, don’t run red lights just because you (think you) can, and don’t go the wrong way on one-way streets.
I’ve seen local pedicabs do all of these things, sometimes repeatedly on the same night, so I know it’s not some isolated incident or rogue operator.