Operating a Pedicab Business - Personal Characteristics
Not everyone has the personal temperament to be a pedicab operator, nor is it possible to operate a profitable pedicab business in every community.
For this reason, we have created this guide to operating a successful pedicab business. The guide is based on our experience operating a pedicab plus our conversations with other pedicab owners we've known, and is an expansion of the information in the chapter in our book on operating a pedicab. If you have experience operating a pedicab, we welcome your comments and suggestions for improving this guide.
Do You Have the Right Personality to Operate a Pedicab?
Pedicab operators require some special character traits. First and foremost, a pedicab operator must be friendly and outgoing. Many people who would like a ride in a cab are too shy to ask and need a little a persuasion to give it a try. A good operator isn't afraid to greet someone who appears evenly slightly interested with a friendly offer of "Would you like a ride?".
Just as importantly, however, a pedicab operator needs to be thick-skinned and not afraid of rejection. Most friendly offers for a ride are usually rejected. Even worse are times when business is slow or you are staring out in a new territory when you find yourself going up and down over the same street without any passengers in your cab. Under these circumstances, people will often stare at you on your funny vehicle, thinking to themselves "What is this guy doing?". A good operator doesn't let that get them down, and waits to find that next passenger who will be smiling and laughing on the next ride.
For this reason, a pedicabber needs to patient. Business conditions can change dramatically as people become familiar with you and your operation and as the people in a crowd changes. A good operator waits to see how business conditions change before giving up. Just as importantly, a good operator needs to be very patient dealing with people. Negotiating through a crowd of people can be dangerous, and the occasional obnoxious passenger can be difficult. Being patient and thoughtful will make your passengers happier and you consequently more wealthy.
Finally, operating a pedicab requires a great deal of stamina. In most other cycling jobs, a bicyclist gets on and off their bike frequently to load and unload cargo and make deliveries. A pedicabber, by contrast, often will be on their bike for hours at a time. And, at times when business is good and you're particularly busy, you may also be loaded with passengers most of the time. While a well-designed pedicab with low gears will make this work much easier, it still doesn't eliminate the fact that pedicabbing can be long, physical work.
