Veteran Pedicab Drivers Launch Cleanup Campaign as NYPD Intensifies Crackdown
With hundreds of unlicensed pedicabs flooding Midtown and tourist scams on the rise, two longtime drivers are rallying their peers to salvage the industry’s battered reputation.
Sweeps and Seizures
The NYPD’s “Operation Front Door” has already confiscated 568 pedicabs city-wide this year—including 14 in a single Midtown North sweep—storing many impounded trikes in a Hell’s Kitchen lot at 11th Avenue and West 40th Street. Driver Kenneth Winter says officers have stopped him at least ten times in the past two months, a level of scrutiny he actually welcomes.
The New York Pedicab Alliance
This fall Winter (20 years behind the handlebars) and fellow veteran Makan Camara (16 years) founded the New York Pedicab Alliance (NYPA). Their goal: persuade colleagues to follow licensing rules, display honest rates, and ditch practices that alienate locals and visitors alike.
“We used to be affordable, ethical, and fun,” Winter told W42ST. “Now too many newcomers treat it like a gold rush.”
Licensing Gaps and Sky-High Costs
City data highlight the scope of the problem:
| Metric | Count |
|---|---|
| Licensed pedicab drivers | 742 |
| Active business licenses | 73 (covering 98 registered cabs) |
| Estimated cabs on the street | Up to 2,000 (NYPA estimate) |
Liability-insurance costs have ballooned from roughly $700 per cab pre-pandemic to as much as $5,000, prompting some fleet owners to rent trikes to anyone willing to pay—and many drivers to operate without paperwork.
Sticker-Shock Fares and Endless Earworms
Some illegal operators hide tiny rate signs—$8.99 per person, per minute is common—leaving families with bills that run into the hundreds. They also lure riders with neon lights and an endless loop of “Empire State of Mind.” Winter, a licensed tour guide, counters by charging a flat $35 anywhere between Central Park and 34th Street.
Grassroots Enforcement
NYPA has already hosted training sessions in Central Park (drawing 100-plus drivers) and created a WhatsApp group of nearly 200 to flag police activity and share compliance tips. Winter and Camara are scheduling meetings with city agencies, community boards, and precinct commanders to push for:
- Stricter action against unlicensed fleets
- Designated pedicab stands
- Permission to use bike lanes
“We know we have an image problem, and we’re fixing that first,” Winter said. “Pedicabs can be ambassadors for New York City again—if we get the ethics back.”