John Flannery drives Bend’s most nimble taxi. He can turn around in the width of a parking space. He hovers around downtown, collecting waving passengers, and dispenses ideas en route to restaurants, bars and other Bend attractions.

The taxi, a bike rickshaw, offers a ride completely unlike that of a horse drawn carriage or a car.

Flannery outfitted his 21-speed rickshaw with running lights, a horn, bell, speedometer, turn signals and a water gun. Charity brochures and a binder of listings of restaurants and attractions are within easy reach, as are motion sickness bags with directions in English and French.

Bend Cycle Cab can be seen circling the downtown area and the Old Mill District Thursday through Sunday regularly. Service also is a-

vailable during special events and by reservation.

Why start a pedicab business?

I saw this was a town that could use this service. On the business side, I thought it could work. We rely a lot on tourist dollars. Mainly I wanted to be outside, talk with people, ride a bike and get paid for it.

The bike helps me connect with people. I’m approachable as a business, and I’m here to give a community service. If someone wants to disseminate something, like a charity or a flyer, I’ll help out. I’m a community service bulletin board.

What are your rates?

It’s $1 per person in town, the first three blocks or so. Five bucks gets you a victory lap around downtown.

I do a half-hour for $16 or an hour for $30. I want to be cheap enough for people to have fun with it. Hills and longer distances are negotiable.

I do on-call pickups like a taxi.

What kinds of fares do you pick up?

I’ve done barhopping, charity work, taxi service, weddings, anniversary rides, tours for people.

A lot of my tour business has come from locals, like a gift certificate for friends.

Why did you move to Bend?

I moved here to be in the community, before the whole bike thing. I came from Colorado five years ago. They had these bike rickshaws in Denver, Colorado. I basically came here to hike with my dogs.

What was the most interesting ride you’ve given?

I’ve seen proposals in the back, I’ve done a proposal, I had a girl call off a wedding in the back one night. I’m getting more animals too, more dogs.

The most fun ones are perfectly timed, where someone’s in emotional distress or were farther than they thought they were, and at the end they say, thank you, you’re exactly what I needed.

What are some of your biggest challenges?

The side every business has, that it’s not the dream I thought it’d be, that I was going to ride around, give rides. Dealing with maintenance, budgets, taxes, advertising, and learning a business I knew nothing about.

The last four or five jobs I had have been small businesses, like Cup of Magic and Westside Video. I want all small businesses to be successful, and I know how hard it is to be a small business.

To that end, what do you do with other businesses?

The main way is just through the nature of my business, advertising. It’s referencing passengers to what they need. If we drive by something, and the person asks, what do they do?’ I fill them in.

What kind of things do you talk about with passengers?

Anything that raises peoples’ awareness of the world around them. I like talking about politics and religion, the two things you’re not supposed to talk about in bars. I’m not into sports or anything, we usually just talk about life. I enjoy doing safety rides – getting people home that are so drunk they can’t get home otherwise. After dropping off a really drunk person, I’ll say, that guy was an idiot, but I’m so glad he got home.

What’s the top frequently asked question by passengers?

Where is Deschutes Brewery.

What do you enjoy most about the job?

I enjoy seeing people whose attitudes change during the ride. When they get on their attitude is, I’m not going to have fun, but afterward, they’re smiling and having a good time.

I’ve taken people on free rides. I’ve picked people up who were crying on the sidewalk. I swoop in and take them for a ride around the block, they get out, and it totally changes their day. I can’t solve their problems for them, but I’m there to give a moment of diversion, sometimes it’s all we need.

What safety precautions do you take?

Raising awareness about what I do is important. I try not to get in situations I shouldn’t be in. I plan accordingly as much as possible; as soon as someone tells me where they want to go, I start planning the best route that gives them good views and keeps them happy and safe.

Visibility is a huge factor, so the bike has running lights and blinkers for that reason.

I have a permit as a taxi driver and I have liability insurance.

What is the reaction from motorists?

Sometimes I get the slackjawed look, but now that I’ve been out here more and more, people are courteous about it.

The first year, it was just getting people used to seeing it.

I have to be assertive sometimes, like when someone was trying to pass me where it wasn’t safe and I had to assert myself to avert an accident.

Anyone who’s ever mad at me, I’ll take them on a free ride and we can talk about it.

How do you advertise?

I did some in the phone book, and in some adventure maps. The biggest advertising is riding around. It’s word-of-mouth too.

Is your company profitable?

It’s still in the red; the business side is still getting there. Any business that’s growing is going through stages, an initial marketing phase, gathering initial market share.

Chris Young can be reached at 541-383-0350 or at cyoung@bendbulletin.com