Ballpark Pedicabs

One of these assholes ripped me off. Fraudulent charge for almost 170 dollars on my credit card.
I called the credit card company and I’m also going to file a police report.
It’s gotten so out of hand, you can’t even walk down the street without being pestered by these pedicabs. I hope the city passes some ordinances to run them out of town. It’s very obvious that this is a common theme with these people.
I must have dropped my credit card, which is my fault, but thank god I have fraud protection.
When I spoke to the fraud department they were laughing, 170 dollars for a pedi cab on a Sunday night? There was absolutely no one out on Sunday because it was freezing. A bar tab would have made more sense… this was obviously the driver’s attempt at making a quick buck on a slow night. Luckily they see it my way…
I wonder how much the driver would have tried to charge me if I actually got a ride from him or her? Judging from these reviews, I’d be bankrupt! But hey, at least I’m not morally bankrupt like the asshole that stole my credit card! Karma is a bitch
UPDATE: I received my money back. Apparently these disputes common, the lady from the credit card company told me that most of the time the driver charges more than the passenger agreed to. Be careful if you decide to visit SD, these are a tourist trap!

These guys are the biggest scumbags on the planet. Make sure you negotiate or they will rip you off without hesitation.

IEnded up in San Diego around the Midway yesterday summoned a pedicab didn’t realize I was picked up by an Afghani Muslim Try to find an American buy USA. NOT TO INFORMATIVE RADIO was to loud to hear what he was saying 60 too much for a 10 min ride

Terrible! Was charged $ 44 to go .5 miles for two people. Total rip off. Don’t do it!

I would give a ½ star if I could. Since I did not have my phone with me, I did not realize that the restaurant I wanted to go to was only a couple blocks away. Very short trip for a large amount of money.

AVOID AVOID! These guys are dishonest and will rip you off. Told my friend and I it would be $ 30 to go 5 blocks. Seemed like a bit of a rip off but we agreed. When we reached the restaurant the pedi cab said it’s $ 30 per person, $ 60 total! After arguing with the pedi cab and having him threaten us with police we paid and left.
These guys are the worst! Better off walking.

Ok, I am an IDIOT!!! So we are running late into town to catch a baseball game at Petco Park. We parked our car at the Marriott Marina. Jump in the pedi-​cab and 2 blocks later, driver said, $ 25/​each. WHAT THE ****??? Get a price before you get in.
My bad… use my stupidness and save yourself some cash!

Not sure what the name of the company giving me a ride was, but here goes…
PRICE: listed as $ 10 — $ 20 per person, the bicyclist told me he would give me and my bf a discount at $ 7 per person. I’m not sure about the standard price for these types of services, but I get the feeling that it’s like «list the price as more expensive than the actual price so customers feel like they’re getting a deal» kind of a gig. So, for like 7 blocks, it came to $ 14 for my bf and I. Yes, a taxi would have been cheaper, but we come to SD maybe once a year so we figured why not.
LOCATION: we were in the gas lamp district, stayed at the Manchester grand hyatt (check out my review on them if you haven’t already).
SERVICE: oh my god it was so much fun. The bicyclist (Turkish guy) asked if we liked classical music, we said sure, he started playing classical music while biking us around!!! It was such a blast. People were looking at us (yes, I loved the attention) and I couldn’t stop laughing. The guy would weave in and out of traffic, biked thru a red light (it was safe), went onto the sidewalk and through the parking lot, wiggled his bike back and forth, oh my god it was such a great time, I couldn’t stop smiling. And the feeling of the cool summer air while we brushed by these expensive cars stuck in traffic while we rolled through was just incredible. It’s such a great experience. We had a really cool driver too, so I feel like he really made all the difference.
NOTE: a few of these services will accept debit/​credit, most are cash only, so be prepared.
OVERALL: a bit pricey for my taste but would def do again. The experience is what you’re paying for, not the distance covered… And it was totally worth it.

As Bert would say, nobody f*cks with the pigeons.
What a way to spoil a beautiful afternoon on the Embarcadero.
Poor tourists getting hustled, ladies getting hounded, pigeons getting kicked, stealing drinks from the local restaurants, blasting either rap or techno, oh how I despise those pedicabbies.
Speaking of pigeons why are there so many pedicabbies in one area? I thought the city was going to limit the number of licenses.
I’d say the experience around the Embarcadero was getting close to the hounding you’ll find in TJ. «Hey buddy! 2 for 1! come inside»
I also don’t want to hear any nonsense that it’s just a few bad eggs and everyone else is honorable. Bullsh*t flag thrown. The leasing structure of these rickshaws only rewards the pedicabbies that hustle the most. If you don’t make enough scratch, you’re off the streets, or should I say sidewalks.
— If your a tourist, avoid eye contact.
— Also, make sure they are clear on the price. If they try and scam you pretend to call the cops on the cell phone (while trying to read their license card).
— You can always push a stroller, they’ll leave you alone.

Argh, these guys…
I don’t look like a tourist at all, I really don’t think I do! So why do pedi-​cabs insist on soliciting me to use their services? And, if there’s a line of 10 pedi-​cabs within a 50-​foot distance, why do
EACH
AND
EVERY
ONE
OF
THEM
ask me if I want a ride?! This common harassment is perhaps the most profound in Seaport Village, a place I occasionally visit with the intention of – how ironic – WALKING.
Pedi-​cab drivers get 2 stars for the entertainment value of watching them talk (drunk) people into ridiculously expensive rides usually no more than 5 blocks in length.

Man, these guys are intense.
They are all about making the ends and it’s not cheap. Also the pricing is not very consistent. They take full advantage of lazy Americans and their dislike of walking.
I give them 3 stars for their useful service, yet poor pricing structure.

WTF?
I don’t get all the hatin’ on pedicabs here!
My experience in a SD pedicab proved fun, relaxing, and CHEAP!
(Maybe it’s because I had a female driver? She only charged me $ 5 to go like, 5 blocks! So I tipped her a few dollars more since it was so cheap).
I let it slide that they’re seemingly mostly all Turkish students (hey, I’m Armenian). HA!
All in all I had a lot of fun & don’t get why everyone’s so mad.
5 Big Stars!
— — — — — — — — — — — -
P. S. If they expect you to move out of the way it’s probably because they’re hauling hundreds of pounds by foot and this takes a lot of momentum to get going. So, having to slow down or stop for someone can mean a LOT more work to get moving again!
P.P.S If a pedicab driver is going to try to overcharge you, there’s an easy solution to this– ASK HOW MUCH IN ADVANCE! If this isn’t the price you wanna pay, tell him «Other pedicab rides I’ve had were $ 5, why are you asking so much?» and if that doesn’t work, start walking away. I bet that’ll make them yield to YOUR price.
P.P.P.S. These pedicabs in SD were a memorable part of my experience… I think it would be a shame for them to disappear (even IF residents are sick of seeing them!).

Argh! They are so frustrating. TWICE pedicab drivers expected me to get out of the way or move. I didn’t…one of those times was on Sunday near the that big ship with the sails. I was taking a picture of the American flag and the guy honked at me. I was on the sideWALK and knew without turning around that it was a pedicab. My butt is big but not that big. I continued to take my picture and then told the guy that the sidewalk was for pedestrians. No response.
On Wednesday night I again had a run in with pedicabs trying to park on 5^th. I was so pissed that I had to leave and try not to hit any of their bikes that was parked where vehicles should have been parked.
I think we Unilocalers need to protest against these pedicabs and take back our wonderful city we call San Diego. Maybe everyone take rides and then refuse to pay during Comic Con? Or scatter all over 4^th, 5^th, 6^th and Market with signs telling tourist and reminding others that they will rip you off… am I going overboard? I guess cause it has bothered me that there was a woman who died and she shouldn’t have. ok … I am done. Sorry for venting.

I dont usually hang out in the Gaslamp much these days but the last time that I went clubbing, it was at Stingaree * hangs head low *, and my entire group of 4 was so wasted that when that dude showed up and asked if we wanted a ride, of course we said yes.
When you’re drunk, you’re stupid. And we were stupid drunk. I think we paid the guy $ 25 to go 2 blocks, and tipped him $ 5 on top of that. We laughed about it the next day but if I were sober, it would never happen. At least we crammed 4 into that tiny seating area and made the dude sweat for the money.

Friendly and Obnoxious — all at the same time.
First– a confession– I actually used one about 10 years ago and kinda thought it was cool but expensive. Fast forward to 2008…
They are the scurge of downtown– like rats– you can’t get rid of them. I am so tired of the pedicabs carrying loud, drunk tourists at 2am right under my window. Especially those with the stupid boomboxes– (are you trying to be ghetto-​fabulous?!)
I totally support any movement to limit them and start some serious restrictions on licensing!

You’re an idiot if you hire one. It would be one thing if there were stunning ocean views and historic landmark architecture in downtown, but there isn’t. Cars were invented a while ago and you want to get into one of those, they’re faster.
The hippies who ride these things are the worst, halting traffic for cars and pedestrians alike and frequently stopping in the middle of the street to waste space while talking amongst themselves, probably because anyone with an inkling of common sense ignores them (and rightfully so). Truly the scourge of downtown.
Being a pedicabby is exactly like being a worthless bum… except you have a bike. These guys would be doing everyone a favor if they just begged for money like self-​respecting homeless guys.

When a pedi-​cab driver asks me if I want to ride, I tell them politely «No thank you» when really I want to shout at the top of my lungs «Leave me the f*ck alone, if I wanted a ride I would hail you… like a cab… you know? like the last part of your professions name… pedi-​CAB? So please don’t talk to me, go to hell»
I am sure they wouldn’t understand any of that because 99.9% of them don’t speak a lick of English other than «want a ride?» and their outrageous price per ride.
Why have San Diego not outlawed these things? They block traffic, they don’t follow driving rules, they take up parking meters without paying for them, they park on red curbs, I mean… what else do you need to see that these things suck?
Please do us all a favor, go out of business.

We’re in the throes of Pedicab season, and this year, the pedaling morons have decided that they simply must mob all of the open parking meters on Market St. in front of Ralph’s. Something tells me they ain’t puttin’ quarters in those meters.
So, now they’re a nuisance when you’re driving and they’re a nuisance when you’re looking for parking!
When will the SDPD and/​or city council put a stop to this?

Pedicabs are the scum under downtown’s shoe. residents hate them, cops REALLY hate them, and the tourists just need to keep paying them. Walking downtown expect conversations like this:
*HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK*
driver: «You want ride!?»
me: «oh no thanks»
driver: *HONK HONK HONK* «RIDE?»
me: «NO!»
driver: «where you want to go!?»
and the best part is when they decide to drive on the MLK promenade instead of the bike path on the other side of tracks, they constantly honk and the swerve in and out of people… but don’t dare tell them to get back on the bike path. oh no *f* bombs will be coming your way.
Ech someone outlaw these horrible things.

Big fat ditto to Kelsey’s review. I freakin’ hate pedicabs. I hate them with a passion. I hate that they block entire lanes on market st. as they pedal furiously at a snail’s pace and you can’t get around them. I hate that groups of their big ass rickshaws hang out on busy corners or in front of Ralph’s and it really bugs me when they line up in rows as Padres games get out using lame lines like «Helloooo Beautiful «or «I have very strong legs, you want to see?»
And NO I don’t not want to pay you $ 20 to take me and my dog home. I am WALKING the dog. The whole point is to walk dumb ass.
Seriously, how do they get business permits? They blatantly rip off tourists and are a serious nuisance. Do not support pedicabs, always take a real taxi. You will arrive at your destination faster and cheaper guaranteed.