For the time being, East Lansing has lost its only bicycle taxi because of confusion with the city’s updated taxi ordinance.
Tony Benedict, owner of Pure Power Pedicab, said after operating his business since November 2008, he was forced to stop pedaling in East Lansing in late June because of new aspects of the city’s ordinance regarding taxis. His business now is restricted only to the MSU campus and Lansing.
East Lansing City Clerk Nicole Evans said the updated ordinance, approved by the City Council in March, changed the definition of what a taxi is. Under the ordinance, Benedict is mandated to follow the same guidelines as motorized taxis. Prior to the updated ordinance, Benedict’s pedicab was not defined as a taxi.
Benedict said his business plan, which operates on tips for rides, is not conducive with the aspects of the ordinance that requires items such as a chauffeur’s license and taxi meters.
“I read the ordinance and I just realized what they did was, is they kind of just shoehorned me into a regular taxicab, like a motorized vehicle,” Benedict said.
Benedict said he was shocked to be pulled over June 27 and told he was operating illegally because he had not registered his service as a taxi service. He said he was unaware of any changes to the ordinance and had been transparent about his operations during his time of operation.
Evans said the ordinance was updated to protect customers through measures such as requiring drug testing of taxicab drivers and was not meant to harm Benedict’s business.
“We’re not trying to put him out of business,” Evans said. “People like the option of having different forms of transportation, especially with the economy the way that it is and everyone wanting to be a little bit more environmentally friendly.”
Evans said by requiring registration of different types of taxis, passengers will be able to contact the city clerk should they have any concerns.
East Lansing City Councilmember Kevin Beard said he has contacted Benedict about how he can comply with the new ordinance and once again operate legally within the city.
“If there are problems in our city ordinance that he simply can’t comply with, then we will need to figure out whether those are reasonable or unreasonable and if there’s a way we can modify them,” Beard said.
Benedict said he plans to show city officials pedicab-specific laws from Grand Rapids that might apply to his business. Beard said that if the laws serve the safety of the customers and the community, he feels the City Council would consider them.
“If it seems acceptable and manageable then the council will certainly entertain a future amendment to our code that would allow for the pedicabs to operate,” he said.
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