Initially invented for the wealthy, the pedicab was a popular option this weekend for may bar-goers.
It used to be transportation for the wealthy and elite in Asia.
But this weekend, a cycle rickshaw, also known as the pedicab, was uptown carrying drunken college students from party to party and bar to bar.
Matthew Soha, 35, of Columbus, who travels the country running his pseudo-taxi service, drove the three-wheeled cycle, and asked for tips in return for his work.
Students on Court Street late Saturday night were fascinated with Soha’s cycle rickshaw. One passerby said he was attracted to the pedicab because of its colorful set of lights. Another asked
Soha if he could get a ride to Palmer Street from Dale’s BP at the corner of Court and State streets.
Soha started his pedicab career in San Diego back in the early 2000s. Since then, he’s offered rides in 37 states and “hundreds of cities” throughout the U.S., specifically targeting music festivals and football games.
On his way to Charlotte, North Carolina, he decided to bring his services to Athens this past weekend, knowing that Ohio University had a home football game Saturday night.
Soha said he has clocked at least 3,300 miles worth of pedaling this year on his pedicab. During that time, he’s learned to deal with drunken people as a main source of revenue.
Sometimes, though, a little vomit in the carriage is the least of his concerns.
“People like it; it’s kind of like “transportainment,” Soha said. “The police don’t like it sometimes. I’ve gotten loud noise ordinance violations in multiple cities, not here yet, thank God.”
A pedicab is called “beca” in Malaysia. Although the three-wheeled carrier bicycles vary in size, many have colorful lights and speakers that play a variety of songs — often loudly to attract attention.
Though it has roots elsewhere, Soha maintained the pedicab has gotten popular in the U.S. — even in a college town like Athens.
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“It is still royalty to some kind of degree, a little less so maybe,” Soha said. “For the common man, it means not having to walk home from the bar.”
@joshuaLim93
jl951613@ohio.edu
