It should be know that there are 10 , not 5 licensed pedicab companies in Austin as reported in the following article. See the list at the following link: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/publicworks/downloads/limoadd.pdf (Look in the non-motorised section at the bottom of the page.)

This article take from:
http://austinist.com/2007/12/04/pedicabs.php

December 4, 2007
The Future of Pedicabs In Austin


The city’s Urban Transportation Commission is currently at a crossroads over the future of our quickly-expanding pedicab businesses.


As we discovered from The Texan over the weekend, two transportation commissioners are each recommending very different resolutions, hoping to strike a balance between a growing business of bicycles and a growing city whose streets seem to be getting a bit more cramped. There are five registered pedicab companies currently operating in Austin: PediChad, Roadkill Pedicabs, Metrocycle Pedicabs, Capital Pedicabs and Austin Bicycle Cabs.


The city two main pedicabs regulations include:


Operating from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m., but must not operate during morning/evening rush hours and between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.


Staying within the downtown district, never going east of I35, west of Mopac, south of Oltorf or north of Dean Keeton.


Commissioner Patrick Goetz proposed a resolution that would lift virtually all restrictions from pedicabs. He told the Texan, “Pedicabs just happen to be cabs that are also bikes, so what’s the reason for stopping them? Why would you single out one kind of vehicle for operating hours? We don’t limit normal bicyclists. We’re trying to reduce greenhouse gases, but we’re taking pedicabs off the street at the time we need them the most.”


Commissioner Carl Tepper offers a resolution that seems to treat taxi bikes more like taxi cars. “To me, it’s common sense not to allow pedicabs all over town all times of day,” he said. “I think there are already serious safety issues and congestion problems that we don’t need to add to. But it is very possible that the current restrictions are too restrictive, and there may very well be an opportunity to loosen those restrictions.”


In New York, where the number of pedicabs hovered around 400 at its peak, the business has already battled harsh regulations from lawmakers as numbers climb and the lax service (and even more lax payment procedures–most pedicabs charge whatever they want) come under increasing scrutiny. Back in March, when new regulations went into effect–capping the number at 325, requiring million dollar insurance plans, etc.–pedicab companies protested and argued that even though they were providing the same service as cabs, they were taking up less space, emitting less pollution and believed the regulations were akin to “extreme police tactics.”


So the question remains for our city: to regulate, or not to regulate… or, at least, by how much?


If bicycles are required to follow the same traffic laws as automobiles and these pedicabs are performing the same work as taxi cabs, shouldn’t they follow the same rules and regulations? Or is there too great of a difference between the two?