DENVER — The city of Denver is cracking down on unlicensed pedal cab drivers.
City officials said Denver typically sees a surge in pedal cabs, also known as pedicabs, when the football season picks up, with more and more drivers turning out to be unlicensed.
The city said for the Broncos home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, they’d be focusing on educating drivers so they’re aware of what requirements they need. After that, the consequences could be a criminal citation, which means a $999 fine and one year in jail.
“We see a lot of unlicensed pedal cab operators come to Denver because they feel they can make a quick buck,” said Eric Escudero, the spokesperson for the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses. “You need to make sure you're getting into a pedal cab that has a little license plate on the back. It shows that they are licensed, and also they should have a badge displayed on their chest that shows they're a licensed operator.”
Licensed pedicab drivers have passed background checks and have insurance.
“Unfortunate events happen where maybe that pedal cab driver gets into an accident or something [else] happens,” Escudero said. “There's a peace of mind for consumers taking those pedal cabs that they have some sort of protection.”
The city wants to keep drivers and passengers safe on the way to and from the game, no matter what happens on the field.
“There's a lot of ways that that license can protect consumers,” Escudero said. “Number one is we can hold a pedal cab operator accountable if they are violating where they're allowed to travel. There are some rules about traveling in traffic and where they're supposed to go. So if we see them operating illegally, the city can take enforcement action and revoke that license.”
The Department of Excise and Licenses said as of this month, there are 99 licensed pedal cab drivers. That's compared to 94 in March, 112 in September 2023 and 106 in September 2022.
The department said right now, there are 51 licensed pedal cab companies. That's the lowest number in recent years. There were 52 companies in March, 57 in September 2023 and 53 in September 2022.