Electric Pedicabs to become available to hire in London

Passengers can summon one of Veluba's vehicles using an uber-style app

Electric on-demand pedicabs will soon be seen on London’s crowded roads and cycle routes.

The new fleet of power-assisted bikes will be on the roads this month, with six starting operation on the South Bank from today.

Passengers can summon one of Veluba’s vehicles using an Uber-style app, and will pay a £3 booking fee plus £1.25 per mile. The money is then debited directly from the passenger’s connected account.

Each passenger pod has seatbelts and USB port, plus three CCTV cameras.

The Standard has previously reported how unscrupulous riders in the West End exploited the unregulated industry to target tourists, sometimes charging hundreds of pounds for a 30-minute trip.

But the founders of the company behind the bikes insisted they will turn around the trade’s reputation with low costs and responsible riding, with all the riders vetted and made to take a road proficiency test.

Dave Beverley, Veluba’s spokesman, said: “It’s an option for short journeys in central London and a more fun way to get around the capital… We can go virtually anywhere — places that cars can’t get to.”

The bikes — classed as electrically assisted tricycles — have a 15.5mph speed limit, while batteries last for up to 12 hours, or 180 miles on a four-hour charge. They are allowed in bus lanes and, despite their bulk, also allowed on cycle superhighways. A further 30 will start operation later this month.

Siwan Hayward, Transport for London’s head of transport policing, said: “Pedicabs are the only form of public transport in London that is unregulated and our powers are extremely limited, but we are doing all we can to enforce against dangerous and nuisance riders.”

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