Two pedal-powered cab companies have launched service in Eugene in the past month, in time to offer rides to Olympic Trials’ spectators and others looking for an Earth-friendly, open-air ride around town. Pedal Junkies was the first to hit the streets in early June with three pedicabs. Cascadia Cabs started rolling a few weeks later with its larger fleet of eight cabs. Both are trying to take advantage of the crowds in town for the Trials, and both are hopeful Eugene has the critical mass and enthusiasm for bicycle culture to support the service even after the track meet shuts down.

“The beauty of a pedicab is we can help change the urban streetscape,” said Ryan Hashagen, owner of Cascadia Cabs. “We can help transition car-based cities to being more pedestrian-friendly.”

Wayne Beckwith, founder of Pedal Junkies, said he started his enterprise “to make bikes a viable transportation option.”

“I didn’t see any reason why a bike-friendly town like Eugene shouldn’t have something like this,” he said.

Beckwith, 28, works parttime at REI, is the outdoor adventure coordinator for a nonprofit teen center called LEAD, and teaches climbing at Portland Community College. He and a partner who has since left town started their business by renting a friend’s pedicab, unaware they had to be licensed by the city of Eugene. When they found out, they shut down until they got licensed, he said.

The city requires pedicab operators to get a permit, to equip their cabs with safety equipment such as turn signals, reflectors, bells, bumpers and mud flaps, and provide proof of liability insurance. Application and license fees total $175, plus $50 for each cab.

The cabs — heavy-duty tricycles equipped with a bench seat in the back that accommodates two or three people — are not cheap. Pedal Junkies bought two 21-speed cabs from Main Street Pedicabs in Colorado for about $5,000 each, Beckwith said. Cascadia Cab builds its own single-speed cabs in Portland under the name Urban Chariot, Hashagen said. They cost about $3,000 each.

Hashagen, 25, has been driving pedicabs for about eight years. He said he started Cascadia Cab a year ago with a single cab in Bellingham, and now has a fleet of 75 cabs operating in Seattle, Portland and Eugene. He plans to expand into Vancouver, B.C.

Beckwith said the rival cab companies are on friendly terms, but that doesn’t mean he was pleased to have a larger competitor come in from out of town so soon after he started.

“It’s frustrating that it’s all happening at once,” he said. “It’s a little bit of a hard pill to swallow... I just gotta roll with the punches.”

Hashagen said he doesn’t view Pedal Junkies as competition, but instead wants to work with the other company to make pedicabs part of the urban landscape in Eugene.

“We’re creating markets,” he said. “My experience is, the more cabs on the street, the more people get used to it.”

Both outfits operate without a set fare structure, relying on the goodwill of passengers to pay whatever they think is a fair fare.

“The driver may suggest a price but ultimately it’s tip-based,” Hashagen said.

Beckwith said drumming up business has been harder than he anticipated, particularly during the Trials.

“It’s a struggle. It’s really hit and miss,” he said. “People are waving a lot and thanking us but they’re not actually getting in the cabs except for special events.”

Being a successful pedicab driver requires more than just having a strong pair of legs, Hashagen said. Attitude and personality are key as well.

“We’re looking for interesting characters — actors who can put their creative lyricism to work on a bicycle,” he said. “You won’t make a single dollar if you’re out there frowning.”

Every driver has a different style, he said. Some drivers sing the whole time. Some are natural comedians. Some dress up as pirates or bumblebees, he said.

Hashagen has hired about 14 drivers so far, and plans to hire as many as 30 part-time drivers. The drivers are independent contractors who pay rent on the rigs. The job is great for young people who want to get fit, have fun and make money, he said. Drivers can make from $8 to $30 an hour.

“It teaches the drivers an entrepreneurial spirit,” Hashagen said. “They have to go out and make their own money. They’re not just punching the clock. The happier and safer they are and the more they’re enjoying themselves, the more money they’re going to make.”

John Johnson, 28, shop foreman for Cascadia Cabs, said the job of drivers is “to spread some love and have a good time while we’re doing it.” As he pedaled the company’s Duck-themed rig through downtown this week, he and the pedicab caught the attention of a pair of passing women.

“Hi girls,” he said. “How are you, tonight?”

“Oh, that’s so cool,” one responded.

Hashagen said the pedicabs will work festivals and sporting events, but he also wants them to become a mainstay of downtown night life. That’s how he and Johnson recruited two of their first drivers.

Tad Tobin, 24, was hanging out on the porch of a friend’s house last Friday when Hashagen rode by and offered him a ride home. The next morning he was a pedicab driver.

“I love bikes,” he said. “That’s why I’m doing this job.”

Sporting a green Campagnolo bicycle cap, Tobin said he rides a fixed-gear track bike around town. Going from that ride to a pedicab is like getting out of a Porsche and into a school bus, he said.

Claudia Cooper said she was heading home from a night out when Johnson picked her up and told her Cascadia Cabs was looking for drivers. Cooper, a theatrical costume maker and University of Oregon student, said it seemed like a good opportunity to make some extra cash, meet people and get in shape. She has the look — nose ring, tattoos, tank top, short skirt and cowboy boots — and outgoing attitude the job requires.