The Raleigh Rickshaw Company brought some of their rickshaws to the National Folk Festival in Greensboro. They have been in Raleigh since 2007 and, by now, people rely on using their services for tourists and locals alike to get from Point A to Point B. They are also hired for special occasions like engagements and weddings. The rickshaw drivers are known for being friendly, reliable, and helpful. They give riders ideas about things to do and places to eat. Rickshaw drivers have to be strong and have to have a lot of stamina. We don't necessarily associate rickshaws with America, but they are said to have been in 1869 by an American, Jonathan Goble. He was an American missionary to Japan and was said to have invented the rickshaw so that his wife could accompany him on outings in Yokohama.
The rickshaw drivers who worked the folk festival last week were indeed friendly and made traversing the festival easy. They also worked for tips only. We don't know how people in Greensboro reacted to this mode of transportation (2017 was the first year they were used at the festival), but hopefully, the rickshaws were well received. They are low on environmental impact and are a lot of fun. Hopefully, Greensboro will get a fleet. Would you use them? As you can see from the above photo, they sure do seem to fit into the downtown landscape.
We've got similar ones here during the summer, especially on weekends. I haven't seen any lately, so it's possible their operations shut down at Labour Day.
Posted by: William Kendall | Friday, September 15, 2017 at 11:12 AM