(Photo: Cascadia Cabs)
Seattle news outlets are reporting that a pedicab carrying two passengers ran through a red light at a downtown intersection and collided with a scooter and then a minivan, killing one of the people in the cab and causing serious injuries to the other passenger and the pedicab driver (as well as minor injuries to two others).
Cascadia Cabs, the company involved in the tragic crash, currently operates 35 cabs in Portland.
News reports speculate that an equipment failure on the pedicab might be to blame for the crash (and that it was unable to stop for the red light as a result). However, the collision occurred on a steep downhill street (Cedar Street) and the operator was likely traveling at a high rate of speed and could have been unable to stop in time.
Ryan Hashagen is the owner of Cascadia Cabs and I spoke to him Wednesday night. Hashagen — who was noticeably shaken by the day’s events — said his company has a fleet of 35 cabs in Portland and employs 75 drivers locally.
He said that each one of them are independent contractors and that they receive “extensive training” before hitting the road.
“We have a motto: ‘Be Safe, Have Fun, Make Money’.”
Hashagen adds that every cab in his fleet is “given maintenance inspections before every shift,” and that, “cabs do not go out on the street if they are in unsafe working order.” He also explained that Cascadia has five full time mechanics in Portland that maintain the cabs on a daily basis.
Pedicabs on N. Mississippi.
(Photo © J. Maus)
According to Hashagen, the cab involved in Wednesday night’s crash had been inspected just hours prior and it was “deemed safe by the mechanic on duty.” Hashagen says that the same mechanic went to the scene of the crash and found that the brakes were fully intact.
“We try to explain to drivers that operating a cab with passengers on roads with motor vehicles is a huge responsibility… we emphasize that on a mental level and on a physical level.”
Downtown Portland has seen a surge in pedicab traffic in the past year. Prior to June of 2007, there was only one pedicab operating downtown, but today, there are over 40 active pedicabs and three companies offer pedicab services.
Hashagen’s Cascadia Cabs (which also operates fleets in four other Northwest cities) is the largest in Portland since they began doing business here in March of this year. Rose Pedal Pedicabs (formerly aligned with Cascadia), is owned by Casey Martell and has been operating in Portland for six years. In June of last year, Jonathan Magnus launched PDX Pedicabs and currently operates 8 cabs.
Martell says he can’t recall any serious pedicab collisions in Portland. “I’ve had drunk people fall out of the back, but that’s about it.”
Jonathan Magnus, whose PDX Pedicabs employs about 10-12 active cab operators, says his company also takes safety very seriously. “When our riders leave the shop, they must first go through a detailed checklist to make sure everything’s operating properly… and they go through the same checklist when they return from their shift.”
Pedicab operators are not required to have a special license, but Magnus says he’d like to see that happen eventually.
Do you operate a pedicab? If so, what are your thoughts about the Seattle incident and what have been your experiences riding in traffic?