How Rickshaws Pamper…
What do tourists find in rickshaws to make them love them?
"Need a ride, need a ride?" Marc Bullard goaded a couple weighed down recently with shopping bags in Virginia Beach's Town Center. "Looks like you're carrying a lot of stuff."
His friend, Andrew Bargy, caught a glimpse of the woman's high heels and chided, "Those shoes must hurt." Their banter was designed to entice the couple off their feet and into one of their bicycle-drawn rickshaws.
The city's hub of shops, restaurants, apartments and offices might have been designed to be pedestrian-friendly, but Bargy and his company are proving that some people just aren't ready to give up on a set of wheels, according to Hampton Roads.
Since November, Seven Cities Rickshaws has been pedaling people who are too tired, too drunk or too unfamiliar with the 14-block Town Center to hoof it.
Bargy, 36, and his crew of three riders have become nighttime fixtures in Town Center on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. They shuttle riders between the arts center, restaurants, bars and the parking garages. Most of their stops are within three blocks and they charge $2 a person, but they said they earn far more in tips.
"It's kind of a nice little way to get from point A to point B," said Rob Hudome, project manager in the Beach's economic development office. "It's just kind of an amenity or something fun to do. Now that Town Center is maturing, we're trying to grow the entertainment and what's out there."
Some people are drawn to the rickshaws even if they have nowhere to go. Michelle Warren and her friend Mechele Bauer took a rickshaw tour after dinner last week. "We wanted a really good memory of the night," said Warren, who was celebrating her 26th birthday.
Bargy, a carpenter by day, said he got the idea for his business after seeing the rickshaws in Savannah, Ga. For the past two years, he has transported tourists around Sandbridge during the summer.
Bicycle rickshaws have long spun through Asian countries, and they are becoming more common in such Western cities as London and New York.
Bargy wants to eventually expand his rickshaw business. His dream is to set up another operation along the Oceanfront.
Rickshaws may not have the amenities and accessories accompanying BMW 733i radiator, Rolls-Royce engine and more, but they know how to pamper occupants. No wonder they are much loved!
Bargy, 36, and his crew of three riders have become nighttime fixtures in Town Center on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. They shuttle riders between the arts center, restaurants, bars and the parking garages. Most of their stops are within three blocks and they charge $2 a person, but they said they earn far more in tips.
"It's kind of a nice little way to get from point A to point B," said Rob Hudome, project manager in the Beach's economic development office. "It's just kind of an amenity or something fun to do. Now that Town Center is maturing, we're trying to grow the entertainment and what's out there."
Some people are drawn to the rickshaws even if they have nowhere to go. Michelle Warren and her friend Mechele Bauer took a rickshaw tour after dinner last week. "We wanted a really good memory of the night," said Warren, who was celebrating her 26th birthday.
Bargy, a carpenter by day, said he got the idea for his business after seeing the rickshaws in Savannah, Ga. For the past two years, he has transported tourists around Sandbridge during the summer.
Bicycle rickshaws have long spun through Asian countries, and they are becoming more common in such Western cities as London and New York.
Bargy wants to eventually expand his rickshaw business. His dream is to set up another operation along the Oceanfront.
Rickshaws may not have the amenities and accessories accompanying BMW 733i radiator, Rolls-Royce engine and more, but they know how to pamper occupants. No wonder they are much loved!
posted by ruben at
10:16 PM
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