Published 2011-10-04T18:21:00Z”/>
Raquel Royers
While many students use pedicabs because of their accessibility and low costs, questions about their safety has some worried.
Pedicabs, which are three-wheeled bicycles used by many to get home from downtown as an alternative to taxis, operate solely on donations since they lack a business license and cannot legally charge a rider a set rate, pedicab driver Mike Griffith said.
Most drivers do not have to pass any qualifications, background checks or tests in order to become pedicab drivers, said a pedicab company owner named Lou, who refused to give his last name. Often, only identification and references are used in order to drive a pedicab
Many Chico taxi drivers find this to be a major safety concern because of how many intoxicated students rely on them to get them home on a daily basis.
For cab driver and owner Dave Coito, who likes to be referred to as Taxi Dave, insurance is his biggest concern, he said in a phone interview.
He thinks that pedicabs should have to follow the same qualifications as taxi drivers including having insurance, passing background checks and obtaining a business license.
“If you ride in my car and some guy runs a red light on us, you’re protected,” Coito said. “If we get hit you’re safe no matter what. I think it should be the same way with a pedicab.”
Insuring a pedicab is very expensive in Chico, often costing about $1,500 per bike, Griffith said. That’s why many drivers don’t have any insurance, he said.
While insurance is a huge concern that isn’t often thought about when hopping into a pedicab, neither is the thought of who exactly the individual is that is driving you, Coito said.
“You get girls and guys that trust them and they are by themselves and faded and they need someone to get them home safely,” he said. “It would be nice, rest assured, to know that the person who is taking them home is OK.”
People trust pedicab drivers a lot, with not only getting them home but also with their safety when they are intoxicated, Griffith said.
“A drunk girl, we are their saviors at times,” Griffith said. “There is a lot of trust out there and they don’t know who exactly they are jumping on a bike with.”
Coito remembers an incident where he had to “lock up his breaks” to not run over an intoxicated woman who fell off a pedicab in front of him.
“People trust them to get them home safe,” Coito said. “If they had insurance they could protect the people on their pedicabs, which I have seen hurt numerous times.”
For Chico Cab driver Forest Nelson, the worries of intoxicated females not knowing who is driving them home is most concerning .
Nelson can understand why people may take pedicabs in between bar hopping because of the convenience, but thinks a taxi is a better option, he said.
“If you walk down the line of pedicabs, it’s like really?” Nelson said. “People are going to get on a pedicab with this guy?”
Checkers Taxi Cab owners Daniel and Tracy Bradburd agree that pedicabs should be insured, but they don’t think badly of pedicab drivers.
“Those guys work hard for their money but they just need to be insured and do everything that they need to do to make it a proper business,” Daniel Bradburd said.
While they may not have to follow the same certification as a taxi cab driver, pedicab drivers do have to abide to the same rules as a standard biker, which includes having proper lighting for safety, Chico police Sgt. Rob Merrifield said. Merrifield notes that getting onto a pedicab is still ultimately the rider’s own choice over choosing a cab.
“When you’re in a cab you’re locked in a vehicle with someone, where as a pedicab is more open and on the passenger’s judgment,” Merrifield said.
Hannah Harding, a senior legal studies student, said she is concerned for her safety while riding in a pedicab.
“I don’t take them very often because they tend to creep me out,” Harding said. “I only take them if it’s very short distance.”
Keith Morse, a senior business administration major, said the low cost of taking a pedicab tends to out weigh safety concerns.
“From a safety standpoint it makes sense that they should have background checks, but from a financial standpoint it’s a hell of a lot cheaper,” Morse said. “A lot of kids don’t really want to pay for a taxi.”
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<strong>Raquel Royers can be reached at</strong>
<em>[email protected]</em>
