London pedicab cyclist told to repay £180 fare charged for three-minute journey

For those commenting on the need for a licencing regime, here's some background (it's mostly copied-and-pasted from parts of a recent Cycling UK parliamentary briefing on the regulation of pedicabs)...

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Cycling UK would strongly support a proportionate regulatory framework for pedicabs, as well as their operators and riders, with the aim of enabling safe and responsible pedicab operators to flourish, while ensuring they are not undermined (both reputationally and financially) by irresponsible operators.

At present, pedicabs can operate in London (but not elsewhere) under legislation dating from 1869 which permits the operation of Hackney carriages. This is in effect a ‘loophole’ that has allowed pedicabs to operate in London without any effective regulatory framework. It has proved to be a real problem, as it essentially means there is nothing to stop unsafe and irresponsible operators from entering the pedicab market, with unsafe vehicles, untrained and untraceable drivers, unregulated pricing, and a lack of social responsibility or respect for the law. Responsible pedicab operators, represented by the London Pedicab Operators Association (LPOA), have therefore found themselves undermined, both reputationally and financially, by operators who do not invest in procuring and maintaining safe pedicabs or in training and rider registration systems (to ensure their riders act safely and responsibly), and by operators and riders who sometimes charge extortionate prices.

Conversely, in the rest of Great Britain (i.e. outside London), pedicabs are required to operate under the same legal framework as taxis and minicabs. This makes it impossible in practice for pedicabs to operate on a ply-for-hire basis outside London, because the insurance and other requirements for taxis are so onerous, and are entirely disproportionate for addressing the potential risks. Even where local authorities have been keen to support local would-be pedicab operators, they have been unable to operate on a ply-for-hire basis, because the local taxi operators (who view them as competition) start asking questions about whether the pedicabs and their operators have the same insurance etc that they themselves are required to pay.

We would therefore prefer to see a Bill which put forward a ‘national’ regulatory framework, rather than one which merely addresses the situation in London. The aim of this framework should to support the operation of responsible pedicab businesses, and not potentially to kill off the sector. It should be drawn up in consultation with organisations such as Cycling UK and the London Pedicab Operators Association (LPOA, who represent responsible pedicab operators), and should cover:

• The safety of pedicabs, including their braking systems and safety belts;
• The safe management of pedicab fleets and riders, recruitment and employment practices, and financial good repute of pedicab operators;
• The training, geographical knowledge and lawful behaviour of pedicab riders, including an obligation on pedicab operators to maintain a register of riders.

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The rest of our briefing goes into more detail on how this could be done. However I hope this is enough to inform discussion of what can be a thorny issue for cycling advocates.

Roger Geffen (Policy Director, Cycling UK)

Do the councils have licencing for these? If not then maybe that's the best way forward with properly controlled meters, and having insurance being precursors to operating them.

Quote:

...ensure that pedicab drivers undergo safety checks and pay road tax.

Are these motorised pedicabs?

Cycling people around is a great idea, but why do these things have to be so garish and run by rip-off merchants.