Latest news with #Pedicabs
Daily Mail
24-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Illegal traders and pedicabs fleecing tourists on Westminster Bridge are fined £20k in council crackdown
Illegal traders and pedicabs on Westminster Bridge have been fined more than £20,000 in a council crackdown after fleecing tourists. Seemingly harmless rickshaw bikes ferrying tourists around have become a serious concern for Transport for London (TfL) over the safety of the bikes, anti-social behaviour by its drivers and rip-off prices. Meanwhile, illegal traders flogging goods such as peanuts, balloons and hot dogs have been swindling tourists out of their cash without paying tax on their earnings. The fines, costs and victim surcharges total £20,202.50 following the latest round of prosecutions at City of Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Prosecutions for five unlicensed street traders operating on Westminster Bridge selling peanuts and balloons saw £11,127.50 in convictions handed down. One of the vendors was convicted for the second time in two months for previously selling hotdogs. Additionally, nine pedicabs operators - several repeat offenders - have been hit with some of the biggest individual fines totalling £9,075.00 following the latest round of rickshaw bikes prosecutions. The riders' fines, costs, and victim surcharges ranged from £750 to £1,460 under the Control of Pollution Act 1974. A shop on Charing Cross Road, hit with the largest fine of £3,382, had previously received multiple warnings for selling a multitude of souvenir goods on the street. While the company was dissolved in the lead up to court, the director was still held personally liable and convicted. Teams from the central London local Authority will continue to patrol hotspot areas, warning visitors against the dangers of using pedicabs, and work with the Met to prosecute those in breach of current legislation. Given the repeat prosecutions, the council is exploring options such as injunctions or banning orders for the more prolific riders. Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children and Public Protection Cllr Aicha Less said: 'This is Westminster, not the Wild West. These fines send a clear message: if you break the rules in our city you will end up out of pocket and out of excuses.' 'Whilst we work with TfL to finalise a structured the licencing scheme is being finalised, our City Inspectors continue to prosecute pedicab drivers and partner with our neighbours in Lambeth and in the Metropolitan Police to ensure unsuspecting tourists are not ripped off.' Given the repeat prosecutions, the council is exploring options such as injunctions or banning orders for the more prolific riders Over the many years since arriving in England's capital, the appeal and charm of the rickshaw bike has sometimes descended into something darker - a way to rip people off. These concerns have run so deep that an official consultation was launched by TfL, which raises concerns over the safety of the bikes, anti-social behaviour by its drivers and rip-off prices. In TfL's consultation which opened on January 27, they said one of the main aims for regulating pedicabs in London was to 'make them as safe as possible', ensuring they are 'driven in a safe and professional way'. They are also proposing licensing requirements similar to taxis and private hire vehicles, meaning a pedicab driver's licence would be required, issued for one year at a time.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The yellow We Care Pedicabs are back in downtown SF
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) —Whether it's a school bus or a taxi, people are used to getting around in yellow vehicles. But now, a way to get around in a yellow pedicab is back in downtown Sioux Falls for the summer. If you're in downtown Sioux Falls on the weekends, there's a good chance you might see a bright yellow pedicab driving people around. RJ Oladejo is one of the new operators of the We Care Pedicabs. He rides for a few different reasons. 1 'critically' injured, no arrests in early morning shooting 'Getting these calves right and these calves right and the quads right. And just meeting different people all around Sioux Falls, people that visit, and just having a good conversation and enjoying the birds and the breeze and stuff like that,' Oladejo said. It's the second season that Terry Liggins and his nonprofit Hurdle Life Coach Foundation have been operating the pedicabs. 'It took a while to get the locals on board with what was happening. But plenty of the people that were at hotels and visiting our downtown, they would recognize the cabs and get on there as well. And so it was a lot of fun, super dynamic and well received,' Liggins, said. Out of the over 200 rides given last year, 40 of them were for free. This gave Liggins a new idea for this year: to try to implement a voucher program, where people or businesses could sponsor rides. 'Sometimes we're down here somewhere and we're seeing our adults who are transient, moving between the library and the banquet or the Bishop Dudley, and they're carrying a lot of weight,' Liggins said. While you may be the ones riding in the cab, it affects much more than just you. Proceeds from the We Care Pedicabs goes to benefit the Hurdle Life Coach Foundation and all the people they work with. 'Helping people out, you put in something that's got a good initiative for the youth and people around the community. So I embraced it,' Oladejo said. The operators are usually involved with the foundation or just believe in its message. 'Ideally, what we want to do with our operators is created as a workforce development opportunity for the adults. We're supporting transition. And that's not the only person who can volunteer, because we have people that are just like cycle enthusiasts, people who just want to look for another creative way to get some physical exercise and do some cardio,' Liggins said. Helping people get places, both in life and in downtown Sioux Falls. The best way to catch a ride on the Pedicabs is to hail them when you see them. Click here for more information on the We Care Pedicabs. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
