Trixi.com
17-09-2007, 11:16
http://www.timesnow.tv/ImageGallery/Top_TimesLogo_01.jpg
9/14/2007 6:43:30 PM
A Polish rickshaw company is experiencing massive success in the UK market. But while they are loved by tourists, cab drivers loath them
A Polish rickshaw company is experiencing massive success in the UK market. But while they are loved by tourists, cab drivers loath them.
Hundreds of environmentally-friendly rickshaws take to the streets. This green alternative transport is hated by London's black cab drivers but liked by the tourists.
Many of the hundreds of rickshaws that ply the streets belong to the Traditional Rickshaw Company, and are run and owned by Polish. In fact, it has taken just a handful of seasons for the Polish pedicab drivers to conquer the market. The lucrative factor that works for these rickshaws, is that the passengers get to sit in the front.
Co-owner of Traditional Rickshaw company, Tomasz Mysko states, "In Poland since the second war time (World War II), we traditionally had the rickshaws with the passengers at the front. We decided to do this and this was like a spot on idea."
Since they were introduced in 1998, it has all way long been a hard slog for the pedicab industry.
Currently, the London rickshaws are unregulated. But there is an important High Court verdict on licensing coming soon.
Chris Smallwood represents a competing pedicab company, Bugbugs, and he is keen on effective regulation. As Smallwood quotes, "Transport for London have looked at the various models of pedicab and they have decided very firmly, that they will only allow pedicabs on the street, where the passenger are behind the rider. As they feel that with the passenger in the front of the rider, the pedicabs make for an extreme vulnerable mode of transport, and it makes the pedicab unsafe too. So if there is some hard breaking, then the passenger will be tipped out, and the rider will come out over the top."
Also critical are the cabbies, which took the rickshaw industry, to court a few years ago over competition worries. Black cab owner, Dennis Saunders observes, "Well the rickshaw drivers in London are causing mayhem. They are a danger to other road users and passengers. I have actually seen a driving around a congested Hide Park corner, a rickshaw with a girl in the back with a new-born baby in her arms. There are no restraints attached to these rickshaws. The London Taxi Driver Association crash tested a rickshaw and all the three crash tests done, have come out with multiple injuries and death."
London's transport authority points out, the safety of rickshaws will be assessed, once the High Court ruling on licensing is in place.
Though by the looks of it, the rickshaws prove to be slow mode of transport but given London's congested traffic - travelling by rickshaw along some of the city's narrow streets, could actually be a faster alternative.
A popular rickshaw route is from Covent garden to Mayfair. It takes one approximately 15 minutes in a car whereas in a rickshaw, the same distance can be covered in just only ten minutes.
The next stop is United States for these Polish rickshaws. The business is doing so well in London, that it might soon extend its operations to Las Vegas or maybe Southern Europe.
Yendrek3
17-09-2007, 12:07
I just can't believe, another article about bunch of idi... that have destructive influence for our industry.
maybe mrMyszko would explain why his riders all the time occupie at leiqester sc, cov, dn, piccadilly
also why his bikes have no lighting system and single brake only.
why his riders have no training at all.
4 people on the bike, one way streets, jumping red lights. they all very familiar with these.
someone is doing PR for creti...s :mad:
rickshaw92
18-09-2007, 15:28
maybe mrMyszko would explain why his riders all the time occupie at leiqester sc, cov, dn, piccadilly
also why his bikes have no lighting system and single brake only.
why his riders have no training at all.I can explain that. Myszko is an ar*e biscut or a banker or both. Odd that he is talking bout goin to Amerika, perhaps he sees the writing on the wall and knows he and his cyclos are soon to be evicted from our fair city. Good luck in Vegas, I thought that rickshaws were sent packing a few years ago. Where in Amerika would he ger riders? Its not likr the Great Satan is going to allow him to import all his riders from Poland to work for 2 months. Good ridance to him anyway, perhaps he can take the street fighters and those silly looking swan rickshaws with him.
It is amazing how people are so quick to start attacking someone having success. With the pedicab industry being attacked on all fronts. I would think that attacking from within is the last thing that should be done. If what you say is true and I am sure it is let things take there natural course.
Keep the Peace
Quote:Dennis Saunders observes, "Well the rickshaw drivers in London are causing mayhem.
Me thinks black cabs have been doing so for much longer then us :D, stoping in bus lanes, picking up & droping off on white zigzags, stoping on pavements, nipping through one ways & parking in cycle box or lanes. Ontop beeping at pedestrians, cyclist & any other road user who exist..... I love a good LTDA cabby.......NOT:rolleyes:
sometimes are stopping and asking people if they want to go by black cab - you can see in London at night when is cold. Of course during the week :D
I should write that I saw black cab drivers doing all this (from my post above).
My previous post regarding Fridel`s post
UK
MOD-DATE: 09/13/07 14:14:09
CEEF-SEP13-UK-POLISH RICKSHAWS
CEEF: STORY 440
POLISH RICKSHAWS
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
RECENT
NATURAL WITH POLISH AND ENGLISH SPEECH
DURATION:05:04
SOURCE:REUTERS
FEED HISTORY:CEEF (1315GMT)
INTRO: Polish rickshaws conquer British market.
TV AND WEB RESTRICTIONS~**NONE*~ (http://tvscripts.edt.reuters.com/2007-09-13/29a2f799.html)
Two Poles who migrated to England are intimidating their competition with a
successful bicycle taxi business in London. Their traditional Polish rickshaw
business has grown so fast, they are looking to expand overseas.
SHOWS: (CEEF) LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS
ALL)
1. CARS DRIVING SLOWLY IN BUSY STREET
2. A RICKSHAW, ALSO KNOWN AS A PEDICAB, DRIVING WITH PASSENGERS SITTING IN
BACK
3. MAN RIDING PEDICAB FROM POLISH COMPANY "TRADITIONAL
RICKSHAW"
4. SIGN ON BOTTOM OF RICKSHAW READING: WWW.TRADTIONALRISKSHAW.COM (http://WWW.TRADTIONALRISKSHAW.COM)
5. OWNERS OF TRADITIONAL RICKSHAWS COMPANY, BARTEK MIERNIK AND TOMASZ MYSKO
RIDING IN RICKSHAW/ RICKSHAW DRIVER, MARGARET SYMERYAK RIDING IN FRONT
6. (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) CO-OWNER OF TRADITIONAL RICKSHAW COMPANY, TOMASZ
MYSKO, SAYING:
"We wanted to start this business because Poland joined the
European Union and we wanted to find room for Polish products. It happens that
this product was the Polish rickshaw, which traditionally, since the Second
World War, had passengers in the front. This was apparently a good choice
because up to now the rickshaws in London only had passengers in the back.
Thanks to this, our company is growing and we are more and more
popular."
7. PEOPLE TALKING TO RICKSHAW RIDER, THEN SITTING DOWN ON RICKSHAW AND
DRIVING OFF/ LONDON LANDMARK BIG BEN IN BACKGROUND
8. RICKSHAW RIDERS AT COMPETING COMPANY "BUGBUGS" TAKING THEIR
BIKES OUT OF THE GARAGE
9. RICKSHAW RIDER, DAVID, TALKING TO TRUSTEE OF BUGBUGS AND CHAIRMAN OF
INDUSTRY BODY, LONDON PEDICAB OPERATORS ASSOCIATION, CHRIS SMALLWOOD
10. SIGN ON WHEEL OF RICKSHAW, READING: WWW.BUGBUGS.CO.UK (http://WWW.BUGBUGS.CO.UK)
11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TRUSTEE OF BUGBUGS RICKSHAW COMPANY AND CHAIRMAN
OF LONDON PEDICAB OPERATORS ASSOCIATION, CHRIS SMALLWOOD, SAYING:
"Transport for London have looked at the various models of pedicab
and they've decided, very firmly, that they will only allow pedicabs on the
streets where the passengers are behind the rider. Because they feel that,
with the passengers in the front of the rider, they are extremely vulnerable
and it makes the pedicab unsafe, so if there is some hard breaking, then the
passengers will be tipped out and the rider will come up over the top. So
there is no question that they are not going to allow those within the
regulatory scheme when that comes in."
12. TAXI AND OTHER CARS DRIVING ON THE ROAD
13. BLACK TAXICAB OWNER AND DRIVER, DENNIS SAUNDERS SITTING IN HIS TAXI
14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BLACK TAXICAB OWNER AND DRIVER, DENNIS SAUNDERS,
SAYING:
"Well the rickshaw drivers in London are causing mayhem. They are
a danger to other road users, to passengers. I have actually seen, driving
around a congested Hyde Park corner, a rickshaw with a girl in the back with a
new-born baby in her arms. There is no restraints. The London Taxi Driver
Association crash tested a rickshaw and all three crash tests done has come
out with multiple injuries and death. And it is just not acceptable on
London's already over congested, congested roads."
15. RICKSHAW DRIVERS, PEDESTRIANS AND CARS IN BUSY LONDON STREET
16. (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) CO-OWNER OF TRADITIONAL RICKSHAW COMPANY, TOMASZ
MYSKO, SAYING:
"We don't think that our rickshaws are dangerous because they have
very good brakes and also, the rickshaw is a very slow means of transport.
Every other vehicle is faster and if there are any accidents involving a
rickshaw, then usually they are from the back. So our passengers can feel very
safe and our drivers are very well prepared. We train them to ride in traffic
and drive safely, how to attain information about what is going on in the
city, where there is traffic and how intense it is."
17. RICKSHAW DRIVER, MARGARET SYMERYAK RIDING ON ROAD
18. (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) STUDENT AND RICKSHAW DRIVER, MARGARET SYMERYAK,
SAYING:
"Every day I meet people from different countries who tell me
about their cultures. So this is the best job for me."
19. RICKSHAWS AND CARS DRIVING ON STREET
20. VARIOUS OF LANDMARK 'THE LONDON EYE'
STORY: The streets of London are renowned for their heavy traffic, and this
can be especially true as evening falls and theatre-goers and other revellers
make their way through the city.
One answer to moving around quickly, is the hundreds of environmentally
friendly taxis, better known as rickshaws or pedicabs, that take to the
streets.
Rickshaws are a common site, but recently a rickshaw with a difference
is conquering the London market.
Just over four years ago, Poles Bartek Miernik and Tomasz Mysko met at
a party, and before long they had teamed up to start a company hiring out
rickshaws based on Polish design.
Their company, "Traditional Rickshaws", rents pedicabs to
mostly Polish students, who usually work through the night transporting people
around London for a fee. There are hundreds of such pedicabs on the roads
every single night, but the Polish design is unique, as passengers sit in
front of the driver. Most of their competitors have their passengers behind
them.
"We wanted to start this business because Poland joined the
European Union and we wanted to find room for Polish products," said
Mysko.
"It happens that this product was the Polish rickshaw, which
traditionally, since the Second World War, had passengers in the front. This
was apparently a good choice because up to now the rickshaws in London only
had passengers in the back. Thanks to this, our company is growing and we are
more and more popular," he added.
Currently pedicabs in London are not regulated. Chris Smallwood, the
trustee of a competing pedicab company, Bugbugs and chairman of the industry
body, London Pedicab Operators Association (LPOA) says it is a hazard to allow
anyone to operate a rickshaw without regulation.
Smallwood was part of the pedicab founders in London in 1998, and since
then, has been working closely with and against the authorities to make it a
respected and regulated industry.
Currently he is awaiting a High Court verdict on the regulation of
pedicabs. Smallwood believes the verdict will result in licensing of pedicabs,
upping the entry barriers.
He says when this happens, the authorities will not allow pedicabs with
passengers in the front to operate, because of health and safety concerns.
"They feel that, with the passengers in the front of the rider,
they are extremely vulnerable and it makes the pedicab unsafe, so if there is
some hard breaking, then the passengers will be tipped out and the rider will
come up over the top. So there is no question that they are not going to allow
those within the regulatory scheme when that comes in," he said.
The High Court is to decide whether rickshaws can now be classified as
hackney carriages, which refers to taxicabs. If they are hackney carriages,
rickshaws can be licensed under current legislation. If not, Transport for
London will lobby the government for new legislation.
Pedicabs have also been in dispute with London's famous black taxicabs
ever since their introduction in 1998. The London Taxi Drivers' Association
(LTDA) lost a court case against rickshaws over whether they where designated
as hackney carriages and could lawfully apply for hire a few years ago. This
has not helped the relationship between the two forms of transport.
"Rickshaw drivers in London are causing mayhem," says
taxi-owner Dennis Saunders.
"They are a danger to other road users, to passengers....There is
no restraints. The London Taxi Driver Association crash tested a rickshaw and
all three crash tests done has come out with multiple injuries and death. And
it is just not acceptable on London's already over congested, congested
roads," he added.
But the Traditional Rickshaw company says its pedicabs are safe.
"We don't think that our rickshaws are dangerous because they have
very good brakes and also, the rickshaw is a very slow means of transport.
Every other vehicle is faster and if there are any accidents involving a
rickshaw, then usually they are from the back. So our passengers can feel very
safe and our drivers are very well prepared. We train them to ride in traffic
and drive safely, how to attain information about what is going on in the
city, where there is traffic and how intense it is," Mysko said.
For Polish students in London, driving for Traditional Rickshaws is
seen as an ideal part-time job.
Margaret Symeryak is studying translation in London and she says she
loves the variety of the work and the people she gets to meet.
"Every day I meet people from different countries who tell me
about their cultures. So this is the best job for me," she says.
Traditional Rickshaws has grown from 5 to 60 vehicles in three seasons,
and now Mysko and Miernik have grand plans.
The partners are ready for new challenges, and banter about expanding
to places such as California, Las Vegas and Southern Europe, or creating
airborne rickshaws. So far the plans are vague, but the team says with London
now under its belt, it is time to take on the rest of the world.