Transportation / Mobility

April 28, 2006

 

Pollution-Free Pedicab Service Starts in Fukuoka City

Keywords: NGO / Citizen Transportation / Mobility 

On March 1, 2006, Fukuoka City became the 15th Japanese city to run a pedicab service, fashionably named "Velotaxi." The operator is the Tortoise Ecological Cities and Education Laboratory, a non-profit organization and the partner of the Ecological-Cities Promoting Association, a non-profit organization.

The Velotaxi, named after Latin word "velo," meaning bicycle, is a tricycle taxi that can seat two adult passengers. Developed in Germany in 1997 as an environmentally friendly means of transportation, this pedicab model is now widely used in many cities in Europe.

In Japan, Velotaxi service has been adopted in 13 major cities, starting with Kyoto in 2002 and including Tokyo, Matsumoto, Osaka, Nara, Naha, Hiroshima, Kitakata, Sendai, Nagoya, Miyazaki, Kurashiki, and Kobe, as well as in the town of Ioujima in Nagasaki. The Ecological-Cities Promoting Association carries out these operations in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Nagoya, and its partners provide the service in other regions with support from many corporations.

Needless to say, as Velotaxi has no engine, it is a completely pollution-free, environmentally friendly mode of transport that offers passengers a pleasant ride. The Association hopes that if Velotaxi becomes more widely available and more people use the service on sunny days, cities will become more environmentally friendly.



Posted: 2006/04/28 10:27:47 PM
Japanese version

 

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