The taxi that runs on muscle power

Looking for a compact alternative to fuel-consuming taxicabs? Some US cities and towns are beginning to see pedicabs — the modern equivalent of rickshaws — carrying passengers through their downtowns and other high-traffic areas. “I really believe they’re community builders,” says Gregg Zukowski, principal in Revolution Rickshaws, which operates 17 pedicabs in New York City. The driver often talks with the passengers, and the passenger compartment is at least partly open to the passing scene. “Anybody who wants to redevelop a town center should consider them,” Zukowski says. “They act as automobile traffic-calmers while moving safely on city streets … The human speed and open-air carriage allow passersby on sidewalks and in automobiles and other cycle rickshaws to speak to the driver and passengers, fostering interactions.” Pedicabs, essentially tricycles built to carry two or three passengers plus a strong-legged driver, have proliferated in Manhattan, their number rising to about 500 from about 150 in the past two years, according to Zukowski. “The vehicles range from home-made, to Chinese models costing about $300, to high-end stuff costing $10,000 to $14,000,” Zukowski says. His company’s pedicabs, made by Cycles Maximus in Bath, England, cost about $5,500 each. Not everyone is pleased with pedicabs. Some municipalities regulate the vehicles — requiring insurance and inspections and limiting the rates they charge. “In New York, we’re considered bicycles under the law” and thus not subject to any special rules, says Zukowski. He has advocated regulation, contending it would help to ensure safety and a certain level of service. If pedicab regulation does come to New York, it will likely be the result of unhappiness with operators who have been accused of price-gouging, ignoring traffic rules, and not offering passengers enough protection from accidents. How widespread those problems are is unknown. Besides operating in urban and business centers, pedicabs in various communities carry passengers to and from parking lots at sports stadiums, convention centers, and airports, and operate as seasonal businesses in resort areas.