Traveling Pedicabber & Part-time Retirement

[bambinajade]

Hello everyone,
  I have owned my 1994 Ford Shasta Coach 22’ for two years now, and have been using it for when I ride/work my pedicab/bike taxi at out of town concerts & sporting events.  It has been a great way to supplement my income as a substitute teacher.
  I also have been using the motorhome for short trips to SF & Santa Cruz to escape the heatwaves of the Central Valley of California.  I have been parking overnight next to the Safeways next to the marina, and near the beach with no problems from police.  Other rv’ers have been living there for years!
   Now, I want to equip it with solar in order to charge my 2-3 48v Lifepo4 30ah batteries that I need to use during the work day of rides.  It normally takes about 4-5 hours to charge it plugged in the garage.
Or use a portable generator?  
   I am quite content with the size of my motorhome because I have 3 small dogs, and I have to tow a 7’x10’ ramp trailer to carry the 4’x9’ pedicab which I want to use instead of a toad when I travel around the USA during semi-retirement.
   Any advice that you can give me about which easy solar kit to buy & install on my own?  Thank you very much.

 

[landyachtman]

Welcome to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[john*thomas]

I can't really answer your questions as it will be the same questions I will be asking in the future but that sounds like a pretty cool way to make additional income.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I love this idea...I'd like to know more about the operation....do you need permits or just show up?

How much can a person make on a weekend doing this? Do you advertise or just park near the parking lot and wait for customers to walk up?

Which pedicab do yo have?

Yes, an inverter genset can charge your batteries, but solar is less dependable for this job and takes awhile to recover the energy used. And you will need multiple panels and batteries. 

I have done this with my ebike, but it was only one battery, not multiple batteries. I typically employed 'opportunity charging' where you start the generator once per day, usually in the morning, then bulk and absorb charge every battery you have, (house batteries, ebike batteries, laptop batteries etc) and then after an hour or three, shut down the genset and let the solar panels do the (long-tail) finish charging.

Works well but does require your attention several times a day.

 

[bambinajade]

In some cities, you do need permits & insurance. I have been doing this for 9 years, though I started when I was 52. I do work in multiple cities right now, but I cannot mention which ones don’t require permits because the other pedicabbers who work there wouldn’t like it if I did.
I started with a new Main Street Broadway Pedicab $5,500 cost, but now one can buy a used one for $2,000 - 3,000. 2 1/2 years ago, I put a front hub electric-assist motor $170 off of ebay, and 30-35ahs 48v Li-ion batteries $500-600.
Now I ride a VIP 5-6 seater $3,500 w/ a rear axle Cyclone electric-assist motor. VIP Pedicabs has raised their price to &4,500 for this setup.
There are some pedicab companies that will rent you a pedicab in Las Vegas, LA, SF, San Diego, Sacramento, and in most metropolitan cities for $35-50/day. You will have to Google info about pedicabbing, and about permits in those cities. Don’t try pedicabbing in Austin, Texas. They are over-saturated there.
A documentary about pedicabbing there.


I usually can earn everywhere from $150 - $1,000 in a night shift working game or all day at a music festival. Most large music festivals already have cablords who have the contracts to work them. You have to know someone to get you in. There are two music festivals that don’t have a cablord, and I have permits in those cities to ride. Permits typically cost between $250-500. San Diego has the highest permit cost in the nation at $700.
Most rides start off at $20 to ride. You can get some great tips if your onboard music & playlist gels with your passengers. Best tippers $20-1,000 are Rock, Country & Latino fans. Sometimes the barhoppers can be generous in cities where the incomes are high.


And here was my small pedicab from years ago


And now from last Christmas tours $45-65 booked solid for three weeks, and with sponsors too.




DO NOT BUY A NEW PEDICAB, until you have rented & worked in a city so to understand how to get your game on!

 

[bambinajade]

And I do have some gently used Main Street Pedicabs the Broadway models for sale here in Stockton, Ca. starting at $2,500 - 3,500 w/ electric-assist motor. But you can check on Craigslist anywhere to see what is for sale in your neck of the woods.
MSPs are lighter weight 150lbs versus the 300lbs VIP. I have rode 6 passengers stacked upon each other in the smaller MSP.
I love pedicabbing because you get to meet nice happy people, play good music, get exercise, release endorphins. This is not work for most people. You have to be a talker and a sales person. And love riding bicycles! Food festivals are another good place to ride, but most will not allow you inside.


And learn to decorate! I am the only one in the nation who can put a lighted reindeer or unicorn on any of my pedicabs!