Getting from place to place in the city can be challenging. Even with good public transportation, there are some places that are simply better reached by bike. For people who do not have their bike with them, bicycle taxis—commonly called 'pedicabs'–provide an environmentally-friendly (and often more affordable) way to get where you need to go.
Also known as “cycle rickshaws”, this mode of transportation is very common in Asia. One of the most common jobs for people who have recently migrated into Asian cities from the countryside is to drive cycle rickshaws. In much the same way as recent immigrants to the United States often drive taxis, cycle rickshaws simultaneously provide transportation for people in the city and offer jobs to people seeking a better life.
Bicycle taxis are also present in Europe. European cities in general are more bicycle-friendly than American ones, greatly increasing number of potential passengers for pedicabs in nations where car ownership is much less common. Pedicabs do operate in many American cities, however. Although American cities often sprawl across a large land area, pedicabs offer one of the most efficient ways of getting around many busy downtown areas.
Bicycle taxi drivers sometimes own their vehicles, but more often rent them from larger companies. The same is true of many taxi drivers: although their livelihood depends on fares, they rent their vehicle and equipment out from a company. For a pedicab driver, this gives even more reason to keep their cycle secure: having it stolen means not just losing their livelihood, it can also mean never taking another fare.
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