While the city regulates and considers improvements to pedicab services, no new permits will be issued for six months.
With a relatively short agenda, pedicab permitting dominated today’s meeting of the Austin City Council. The council discussed two items related to the people-powered vehicles. One was approval of an ordinance governing areas pedicabs can operate, with restrictions on certain areas of Sixth Street. Other requirements included setting insurance minimums, requiring signage describing the cab company's fare system (tips only or flat fares), and the permitting moratorium mentioned above.
A separate measure called for the creation of designated staging areas downtown, to make it easier for people to hail a pedicab. The areas will be marked on downtown streets and intersections within 90 days, after making the rounds through a stakeholders group and the Urban Transportation Commission.
