Pedicabs are ready to roll for the DNC

August 4, 1:42 PMDenver People ExaminerErnie Tucker

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Casey and Chuck are ready to roll when the DNC arrives

For the high-rollers – or Green-minded Dems – arriving here for the Democratic National Convention, $2-per-block is probably chump change.

The price should provide big business, especially if the requested going rate gives delegates and visitors the vantage point of riding in a pedicab in an area around the Pepsi Center, which will be tricky to navigate.

“We think it’s going to be huge,” says Casey Bobay, co-owner with Chuck Henry of Rocket Bike Cabs and managers of Mile High Pedicabs.

Under their various groups, they have assembled a fleet of about 40 of the three-wheeled vehicles. Even Mayor John Hickenlooper has given the pedicabs a shout out as a good way for Denver to haul conventioneers around during the DNC. As the mayor says, they’re people-powered and the drivers are hard working. Pedicabs also obtained a national level of cool, when presidential wannabe Stephen Colbert showed up on “The Daily Show” being pulled by a driver in a red-white-and-blue Uncle Sam outfit as a bemused Jon Stewart looked on.

Who knows if Uncle Sam will be on hand come Aug. 25? Bobay says they expect to go “24/7” during the week surrounding the convention. He might even lend a foot to the fleet. The average trip, he notes, is between eight and 10 blocks – so even the wealthiest visitors can’t go to DIA or the Foothills. Instead, the Pepsi Center, Invesco and the 16th Street Mall are the most likely destinations.

And while there has been some friction in the pedicab community between drivers and venues they see to visit, Bobay says he believes things should be OK. It's not just a free-for-all. A check of the Mile High Pedicab homepage reveals a solid history, noting “Mile High pedicabs is the offspring of Main Street Pedicabs, the largest manufacturer of pedicabs in North America. These modern day pedicabs use the technology of 21-speed mountain bikes, rear hydraulic brakes for safe braking, and rear axle differentials for tight turning.” Further, pedicabs are licensed by the city. Still, there could be some interlopers.

“I don’t know if we can avoid some pirates showing up,” Bobay explains. He says they'll deal with that if it happens as best as they can.

Yet given the travel complications in some areas, Bobay and his team appear to be banking on plenty of customers, bent on making the Green Dem scene. So Obamapalooza watchers, keep an eye out. You probably won't see the likes of Sen. Barack Obama or celebs such as Ben Affleck in a pedicab, but you might glimpse Stewart, Colbert -- of some guy called Uncle Sam.