LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas business owner predicts a pedicab revolution around downtown if regulations can be changed to allow passengers to smoke marijuana while on board.
Watch out autonomous vehicles, the future of transportation in downtown Las Vegas could have technology that dates back to the 1800s.
"We've seen some ideas in downtown start up and fail, others have started up and are still here," said Louis Gasper, owner of Sin City Cycle Cab.
Gasper said he sees the three-wheel vehicles as a solution to getting around downtown, including a way to get people high.
That is, Gasper said his passengers could consume marijuana while returning from a dispensary, if regulations allowed.
"They are inside pedicabs for the next 2, 5 to 30 minutes," explained Gasper.
"It's the perfect amount of time for them to consume at least a little bit of the product and for them not to be in a public area, necessarily around other people, who are forced to smoke it with them," said Gasper.
Gasper said his small business could be kicked into another gear if city regulations allowed him to put more cabs on the roads.
Currently he is limited to 8.
"It's a system in which the rules allow us only so many bikes and I have more than enough riders to fill those spots," said Gasper.
Some riders, locals and tourists included, are on board with the potential pedicab revolution.
"It would definitely attract a lot more people, a lot more customers, a lot more supporters for sure," said Danielle Lee, a tourist from New Jersey.
Gasper said despite some past battles with the City of Las Vegas, which 13 Action News has reported on, as recently as last year, including a prohibition until 2017, and increased enforcement and citations in 2018, there seems to be a positive relationship growing with pedicab business owners.
Gasper said he plans to lobby the city council and Clark County commissioners soon to keep the pedicab wheels turning in downtown Las Vegas.
