MarkDaMan
Apr 6, 2008, 5:25 PM
New Portland pedicab company peddles it services
Cascadia Rose Pedals wants to put a different spin on urban travel
Saturday, April 05, 2008
JONATHAN BRINCKMAN
The Oregonian
A seasoned local and the new kid in town have teamed up with a shared goal: make pedicab travel in Portland as common as open umbrellas.
Casey Martell, 40, and Ryan Guy Hashagen, 25, formed Cascadia Rose Pedals four weeks ago with 13 pedal-powered taxicabs, about 20 contract drivers and plans for rapid expansion.
"Ryan and I both want to see the same thing," Martell says. "People getting off work and hopping onto a pedicab, taking a pedicab to lunch."
The three-wheeled pedicabs typically carry two passengers and tend to appeal to tourists and locals looking for a relaxed ride through urban landscapes. Although they're common in Europe and Asia, pedicabs are somewhat scarce in the States.
Case in point: Martell was a one-man operation in Portland when he met up with Hashagen in 2007. His competition was the six-bike Pdx Pedicab.
Hashagen, against all odds, was a pedicab phenom. He started 2007 with one bike in Bellingham, Wash. -- purchased with $4,500 in savings -- and finished the year with seven more acquired through company earnings and started making runs in Seattle.
He kept expanding and today has 25 pedicabs in Seattle and five in Bellingham, in addition to the downtown Portland's Old Town/Chinatown neighborhood.
"He's very wise, he's worldly," Martell says. "He's got a real vision of what he wants to do."
The drivers work the streets looking for fares, congregating near big events such as First Thursday in the Pearl District and the current run of Cirque du Soleil in the South Waterfront. In evenings, they can be found near nightclubs and bars.
Martell -- who calls working with Hashagen "a dream come true" -- says he's barely stopped moving in the four weeks since the two men sealed their partnership with a handshake.
"I've been working every day since then, but it feels good," Martell said. "I'm tired, but it's an uplifting endeavor."
Hashagen expects Cascadia Rose Pedals will have four more pedicabs in Portland by the end of next week, for a total of 17. That number should reach 26 by month's end, he says.
The owner of Pdx Pedicabs welcomes the newcomer. "Competition usually turns out to be a good thing," Jonathan Magnus says.
Hashagen says a division of his company, Urban Chariots, will start importing and selling cargo tricycles as well as pedicabs by early May. Cargo tricycles have flat beds in lieu of seats for small moves or deliveries.
"My goal is to spread tricycles for practical uses throughout the Pacific Northwest," he says.
The 20 drivers in Portland lease pedicabs from Cascadia Rose Pedals for $20 to $45 for 6- to 8-hour shifts. The amount depends on the time of day.
Drivers generally ask passengers to pay whatever they'd like. "I always say, 'Tip whatever you think is fair,' " Martell says. "If pressed, I'll say that can be $5 to $20 for a 10- to 15-minute ride."
"Drivers can do very well," Hashagen notes. "I put myself through college pedicabbing."
Jonathan Brinckman: 503-221-8190; jbrinckman@news.oregonian.com
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1207365920221790.xml&coll=7
Cascadia Rose Pedals wants to put a different spin on urban travel
Saturday, April 05, 2008
JONATHAN BRINCKMAN
The Oregonian
A seasoned local and the new kid in town have teamed up with a shared goal: make pedicab travel in Portland as common as open umbrellas.
Casey Martell, 40, and Ryan Guy Hashagen, 25, formed Cascadia Rose Pedals four weeks ago with 13 pedal-powered taxicabs, about 20 contract drivers and plans for rapid expansion.
"Ryan and I both want to see the same thing," Martell says. "People getting off work and hopping onto a pedicab, taking a pedicab to lunch."
The three-wheeled pedicabs typically carry two passengers and tend to appeal to tourists and locals looking for a relaxed ride through urban landscapes. Although they're common in Europe and Asia, pedicabs are somewhat scarce in the States.
Case in point: Martell was a one-man operation in Portland when he met up with Hashagen in 2007. His competition was the six-bike Pdx Pedicab.
Hashagen, against all odds, was a pedicab phenom. He started 2007 with one bike in Bellingham, Wash. -- purchased with $4,500 in savings -- and finished the year with seven more acquired through company earnings and started making runs in Seattle.
He kept expanding and today has 25 pedicabs in Seattle and five in Bellingham, in addition to the downtown Portland's Old Town/Chinatown neighborhood.
"He's very wise, he's worldly," Martell says. "He's got a real vision of what he wants to do."
The drivers work the streets looking for fares, congregating near big events such as First Thursday in the Pearl District and the current run of Cirque du Soleil in the South Waterfront. In evenings, they can be found near nightclubs and bars.
Martell -- who calls working with Hashagen "a dream come true" -- says he's barely stopped moving in the four weeks since the two men sealed their partnership with a handshake.
"I've been working every day since then, but it feels good," Martell said. "I'm tired, but it's an uplifting endeavor."
Hashagen expects Cascadia Rose Pedals will have four more pedicabs in Portland by the end of next week, for a total of 17. That number should reach 26 by month's end, he says.
The owner of Pdx Pedicabs welcomes the newcomer. "Competition usually turns out to be a good thing," Jonathan Magnus says.
Hashagen says a division of his company, Urban Chariots, will start importing and selling cargo tricycles as well as pedicabs by early May. Cargo tricycles have flat beds in lieu of seats for small moves or deliveries.
"My goal is to spread tricycles for practical uses throughout the Pacific Northwest," he says.
The 20 drivers in Portland lease pedicabs from Cascadia Rose Pedals for $20 to $45 for 6- to 8-hour shifts. The amount depends on the time of day.
Drivers generally ask passengers to pay whatever they'd like. "I always say, 'Tip whatever you think is fair,' " Martell says. "If pressed, I'll say that can be $5 to $20 for a 10- to 15-minute ride."
"Drivers can do very well," Hashagen notes. "I put myself through college pedicabbing."
Jonathan Brinckman: 503-221-8190; jbrinckman@news.oregonian.com
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1207365920221790.xml&coll=7