Getting home can be a bit of a challenge after a night of partying, as can getting up the next morning to make it down to the stadium in time for kickoff. But thanks to a local student-run business, both have become a little easier for students on campus.
Started two summers ago in Petoskey, Mich., Petoskey Pedicab first came to Ann Arbor last fall when Business junior Calvin Schemanski and Josh Lycka, a junior at Grand Valley State University, decided to take their company on the road.
Over the past year, the business, which offers rides in carriages powered by peddling drivers, has blossomed — upgrading its fleet from two pedicabs to three. The founders attribute the success in large part to what Schemanski has learned about running a business in University classrooms, but also what the two have gained from experience.
While the pair continues to offer seasonal services in Petoskey, Lycka said they plan to offer their services exclusively in Ann Arbor throughout the winter. Lycka said the company will add canopies to the pedicabs and offer blankets to passengers during the cold months, but he said the roads might eventually become “too snowy to work with.”
But for now, Lycka isn’t worrying about the weather.
“Business has been great,” Lycka said, adding the Ann Arbor service has seen anywhere from 80 to 200 passengers every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.
A trip from the fraternity house to the Big House can be drastically shortened by getting into the pedicab that can be seen roaming the Hill Street area every Saturday, Lycka said. And after the game, exhausted fans can find that same cab waiting right by the main entrance to the stadium, he added.
Game-day business isn’t quite as lucrative as the nighttime party scene. Still, the business typically pulls anywhere from 20 to 50 customers every Saturday afternoon, Lycka said.
Though Lycka said he is happy with the business’s progress, he said he wishes more students knew how affordable using pedicabs can be.
“It’s not an expensive thing,” Lycka said.
The cost is at the customer’s discretion. Each ride, within a mile, costs whatever the passenger would like to tip the driver, which typically ranges from $5 to $20, he said.
Art & Design junior Jared Salinger, who pulls one of the pedicabs in Ann Arbor, said it isn’t the money that keeps him working. Rather, he most enjoys interacting with his clients.
“It’s active, always moving and meeting people. It’s fun,” Salinger said last week. “Last night I had some people who were singing.”
“We are selling an experience more so than just transportation,” he said. “You would take a pedicab more because you see it and it looks fun and you’ve heard good things about it.”
Schemenski continued, “It’s a story to tell. You definitely tell your friends about that crazy bike ride you took.”