Hi from Shropshire

[Phil Saltmarsh]

Hi everyone, I'm Phil from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England and I'm trying to introduce rickshaws to the town.

So far I'm still at the planning stage. I've put the idea to the local council who have been very supportive. Yesterday (4th of Jan) the idea was put before the licensing committee who have voted in favour of amending the local hackney carriage regulations to allow a pedicab class. Obviously this will take time but I think it's a pretty good step forward.

So far, everyone I have spoken to has liked the idea, including the local taxi drivers association.

For those who don't know Shrewsbury, it is an ancient market town surrounded by beautiful countryside, near the border with Wales. Its history attracts tourists from all over and this is the market I intend to go after (which is probably why the taxi drivers have no objections).

One unique feature of the town is its riverside park, called the Quarry, which has an avenue about a mile long running by the water and is closed to all vehicles except cycles. This is an ideal route to take visitors along.

My intention is to start with one Cycles Maximus rickshaw and to expand the business a little bit at a time

I'm still at a very early stage so I'll let you know how it goes.

[Yendrek3]

well, well, it's good to hear that, I'm glad the pedicab industry is growing. wish you luck and look forward,

regards

yendrek3

[tdayuk]

Welcome & good luck with the future, please keep us up dated in the talk,talk section on how you're getting on in the business. The LPOA have been looking for any pedicab operations that setup, especially out side of london, as many have been drowned by red tap befor even getting started. It will also be nice to start a blog style update as you grow your business.

So keep in touch & if you're ever around London Yendrek3 & myself would love to meet you.:)

[rickshaw92]

Let us know how things pan out. I am looking forward to working the upcomming season in London but if thingt take off for you I might be tempted to come up for a week end. Ive never been to Shropshire.

[vert.i.go]

Welcome to the place to be for a pedicab operator.

I'm trying to bring a fleet of Cycles Maximus to my home town too.

Glad things are going well for you. Are you allowed to charge for your tour? Will you be able to tout for business, or will your rides be pre-arranged? Unfortunately, Sheffield City Council will not allow Vert-i-go to charge a fee for taxi rides, and will not create a licence to assist me in my endeavours.

So, we're doing it for free.

Shrewsbury eh!? Have you considered speaking to your local history/archaeology group and asking them to supply you with (re-cycled paper) flyers about the history of the area, to hand out to your passengers? (I'm an archaeologist).

Get in touch if you want to share some start-up experiences. We may be able to help each other.

Nick - nick@vert-i-go.co.uk

[Phil Saltmarsh]

Hi Nick,

In answer to your question about charging: Hopefully yes I'll be allowed to charge. The situation at the moment is that Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council is prepared to write new conditions to allow pedicabs to run as Hackney Carriages. In theory this would allow me the same rights as an ordinary taxi. This is ongoing and sounds like it could take several months before I am issued with a licence.

However, I have a back-up plan which I'm negotiating at the moment. (Which I'd rather not give details about yet). If this works out I may be able to start a very limited operation in the spring, which will at least give me time to practise and to iron out any problems.

At the moment my proposed fares are based on charging £1.50 per person per mile. I don't know whether anyone has any views on this. Shrewsbury isn't very wealthy like, for example, London so I have to be careful about the level I pitch it at.

I like the idea about getting in touch with local archaeological groups. We do have a group who do walking tours and ghost tours in the town and it has been suggested I link up with them at some point, which could be fun.

All in all, I've got fair way to go yet so I will be grateful for any hints and tips I can get.

Phil

[vert.i.go]

Hi Phil,

Glad to hear you have a back up plan.

We'd love to be able to provide a real green transport service to Sheffield, and charge a fare. But we've decided to go down the goods and document distribution route, and provide free short-journey 'rides' to weekend city travelers instead.

We are aiming to set up Vert-i-go as a cooperative which will; provide employment, challenge how we move about our fair city, offer distribution alternatives for green minded businesses and generate awareness of pressing local and global environmental issues.

As a social enterprise Vert-i-go will work closely with other
co-operatives and social ventures to create a network of like-minded
institutions. This kind of collaboration will strengthen our position in the
market place, through the shared objective of corporate, social &
environmental responsibility.

There's a lot we can do to generate revenue too, but I'd rather not tell on forum.

n.