Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Pedicabs Hit The Streets Of Santa Monica
Photo courtesy of L.A. Bike Taxi
()
It's been a little over a week since pedicabs showed up on the streets of Santa Monica.
LA Bike Taxi launched just a few months after Santa Monica approved an ordinance allowing pedicabs to operate in the city. Santa Monica joins other California cities including San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Huntington Beach and Long Beach to allow the 3-wheeled, people-powered cabs to operate.
Drivers have to pass a background check and obtain a permit with the city, according to Santa Monica Patch. The bikes will be inspected to make sure they have functioning brakes, headlights, tail lights and turn signals. Drivers have to register their posted rates with the city, and they're not allowed to charge anything above that. (Which hopefully means Santa Monica won't see the kind of price-gouging that New York has.)
The price of a ride with LA Bike Taxi is negotiable, but drivers have been suggesting $2 per person per block. The company said it might drop that rate down to $1, but for now, the company reports most of the riders have agreed to the rate. There's no cap to the number of pedicabs that can operate within city limits, and so far there are four licensed drivers.
Support for LAist comes from
LA Streetsblog writes that so far there haven't been any huge issues: "I can confirm that the circles of hell have not come unleashed upon the fair city of Santa Monica. Traffic congestion in popular areas is often slow going, but that has always been the case. So we have Santa Monica, much the same as it has been, but plus some pedicabs now."
There are more pedicabs on the way: Trike Pilots has applied for a business license bringing as many as 20 more pedicabs to Santa Monica, Patch reports. Santa Monica Pedicab plans to open up soon as well, LA Streetsblog reports.
LA Bike Taxi has plans to expand to certain parts of Los Angeles. Founder Jose Prats told the Santa Monica Mirror, "Hollywood and Downtown LA are congested and need a better way for people to get around, so we hope to expand to these areas."
While he was a councilman, Mayor Eric Garcetti presented a motion encouraging the city's transportation agency to consider a pilot program for tourists to maneuver around Hollywood.
Leron Gubler, president and chief executive of Hollywood's Chamber of Commerce, told the Los Angeles Times, "Sometimes, it's a little too far for some people to walk. Or people might do it just for fun."
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake. -
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
Best of LAist