HOW TO GET PEDICAB LICENSE:
Updated: Chauffeur permit checklist and application. Download it here – Chauffeur Permit Checklist
The City of Austin requires the following before a license will be granted:
- Valid Texas Driver License
- Completed Chauffeur Permit Application. Must be notarized in Travis County on page 3
- $12 – Copy of your Texas Driver Record. (Certified Version 3A) If you have been licensed in another state within the past 3 years, you will also need a certified copy of your driving history from there.
- $39.75 – National fingerprint-based criminal background check. Schedule an appointment with IdentoGo. Use Code 11GYVN. Go to the appointment. They will directly send results to the city. (Cash not accepted. Bring a debit or credit card or a money order.)
- Pass a knowledge-based test covering Austin City Code 13-2 (read all 92 pages), Texas driving law, and locations of prominent landmarks.
- If you have had any moving violations within the past 3 years, you must pass and show completion of a defensive driving class. (Take a screen shot showing date of completion and print it.) You can take it online here. ($30)
- $20 – COA application fee. (Debit and credit cards not accepted. Bring exact cash or check.)
NOTE : All documents must be less than 30-days-old or they will not be accepted, including out-of-state driving record. Get your out-of-state driving record first, and then get all your other documents so they will stay “fresh.”
The City of Austin transportation office is located at 1111 Rio Grande, on the southeast corner of 12th and Rio Grande. It is open between 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM. After 11:30 AM, you will not be able to take the knowledge-based test. Get there early! Be sure to take all of the documents listed above, your driver’s license and $20 cash.
GET TRAINED BY MOVEMINT BIKE CAB:
Once you are licensed, call either David Knipp at 512-665-2454 (after 3 pm) to schedule your training session. Also feel free to call if you have questions or are having any problems getting any of the above City-required documentation. We will do our best to help you through the process.
In our training session we will assign you a bike, a locker, give you a tour of our facility and show you how a pedicab works. We will also show you around downtown, train you on pedicab handling, safety and minor maintenance, and tell you the specific rules for operating a pedicab on Sixth Street. Please ask to be signed up to the Movemint Bike Cab Facebook group.
The Movemint Bike Cab shop is located at 1710 East Second Street, Austin, Texas 78702 in the front of the building. Feel free to drop by and ask for David Knipp from Thursday through Saturday, from 7 PM to 3 AM.
ABOUT PEDICABBING:
Pedicabbing is a great way to earn extra money or make a full-time living. A pedicabber sets their own schedule and works as much or as little as they wish. They rent their pedicab from a pedicab shop. All money earned after paying the equipment rental fee is theirs to keep. Their passengers will pay them for their services, generally between $5 to $10 per person – sometimes more, depending on the distance traveled and the degree of difficulty. Most Austin pedicabbers work in the evenings as early as 6 PM til as late as 3 AM to serve bar patrons, hotel guests and other visitors to Downtown Austin.
Experienced riders earning $200 or more on a weekend night is not uncommon. Weeknights tend to be slower, but earnings add up to a substantial amount per week.
To be a for-hire driver, pedicabbers are required to be licensed by the City of Austin (COA). COA chauffeur permits are “universal,” meaning that you can operate any type of for-hire vehicle for any company, including pedicabs, taxis, limousines, horse carriages, electric cabs, etc, because all license holders must pass the same test.
Contact us using the form below or by phone numbers listed above.