Here's something you might be interested in.
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed
Big Screen — Movie commentary
Blurt — Music's inside track
Booze News — San Diego spirits
Classical Music — Immortal beauty
Classifieds — Free and easy
Cover Stories — Front-page features
Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes
Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts
Feast! — Food & drink reviews
Feature Stories — Local news & stories
Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore
From the Archives — Spotlight on the past
Golden Dreams — Talk of the town
The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it
Letters — Our inbox
Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites
Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans
Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists
Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news
News Ticker — News & politics
Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated
Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna
Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated
Poetry — The old and the new
Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers
Reading — The hunt for intellectuals
Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails
San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds
SD on the QT — Almost factual news
Sheep and Goats — Places of worship
Special Issues — The best of
Street Style — San Diego streets have style
Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves
Theater — On stage in San Diego this week
Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative
Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work
Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego
Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads
Your Week — Daily event picks
Pedicab drivers in downtown San Diego miss the music
New rules have led to 50% drop in business
Escalating fines: $250 for the first offense, $500 for the second, $2,500 for the third, and $5,000 for subsequent violations.
Downtown pedicabs with dazzling lights and thumping stereo systems are undergoing a significant change — many operators no longer play loud music, especially near the convention center. This shift has led to a "50 percent downturn" in ridership, calculated Chris, who operates as Calex619 Pedicab online. "This is an experience we are providing, and without music, I am losing business," he explained.
Adding to the challenges, pedicabs were barred from operating at Petco Park for two hours after events, including the Becky G concert on November 17, limiting their ability to serve the Latina pop star’s fanbase.
UFC boss Dana White with Chris
On October 14, the San Diego City Council unanimously voted to ban amplified music on pedicabs starting January 1, 2025. The new regulations require drivers to agree on fares upfront, provide itemized receipts, and display rates and licenses clearly. For Chris, who has been offering rides for eight years, these rules mark the latest in a string of restrictions.
The Port of San Diego already banned motorized pedicabs and prohibited amplified music along the bay front walkway between the Coast Guard station and the Hilton Bayfront.
Despite these restrictions, some operators ignored the rules over the summer, blasting loud music along the port’s jurisdiction. "And they were getting cited for it," Chris explained. "These are administrative citations — police don’t stop you. Someone can record you from the sidewalk, and you get fined by the port authority. It's not fair."
Chris outlined the escalating fines: $250 for the first offense, $500 for the second, $2,500 for the third, and $5,000 for subsequent violations. "Why couldn’t they meet us in the middle and make the speakers uniform?" he asked. We thought of the headphones like a silent disco, but how are we going to sanitize the headphones and talk our riders into wearing headphones? It's not the same."
Not everyone outside of the local pedicab family agrees with the crackdown. A Cortez Hill resident, Kevin Bale, voiced his frustration with the October decision. "The funny thing is there’s already a city law prohibiting music that can be heard more than 50 feet away — it’s just not enforced. And now they’re going to enforce this? Yes, it can be annoying, but we live in a major U.S. city."
While some downtown dwellers appreciate quieter streets, others see pedicabs as nuisances. Complaints include unclear pricing and fare disputes. New rules aim to fix this by requiring upfront fare agreements and visible rates. Chris supports these measures but remains concerned about the music ban.
Chris is a celebrity spotter who recently spotted UFC's CEO, Dana White, and rapper Freddie Gibbs, which adds to the branding of his historic pedicab tours, highlighting landmarks around downtown. "But not all drivers can pivot like this," he said, noting that many operators struggle with language barriers.
Pedicab drivers also face rising costs. On top of the daily rentals the operators must pay and the insurance, "We pay almost $900 for a city permit and about $200 more for the port — and fees keep increasing," Chris said. Since over 240 downtown drivers are affected, San Diego’s pedicab industry and its operators' families are bracing for a challenging year ahead.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Pedicab drivers in downtown San Diego miss the music
New rules have led to 50% drop in business
Pedicab drivers in downtown San Diego miss the music
New rules have led to 50% drop in business
Escalating fines: $250 for the first offense, $500 for the second, $2,500 for the third, and $5,000 for subsequent violations.
Downtown pedicabs with dazzling lights and thumping stereo systems are undergoing a significant change — many operators no longer play loud music, especially near the convention center. This shift has led to a "50 percent downturn" in ridership, calculated Chris, who operates as Calex619 Pedicab online. "This is an experience we are providing, and without music, I am losing business," he explained.
Adding to the challenges, pedicabs were barred from operating at Petco Park for two hours after events, including the Becky G concert on November 17, limiting their ability to serve the Latina pop star’s fanbase.
UFC boss Dana White with Chris
On October 14, the San Diego City Council unanimously voted to ban amplified music on pedicabs starting January 1, 2025. The new regulations require drivers to agree on fares upfront, provide itemized receipts, and display rates and licenses clearly. For Chris, who has been offering rides for eight years, these rules mark the latest in a string of restrictions.
The Port of San Diego already banned motorized pedicabs and prohibited amplified music along the bay front walkway between the Coast Guard station and the Hilton Bayfront.
Despite these restrictions, some operators ignored the rules over the summer, blasting loud music along the port’s jurisdiction. "And they were getting cited for it," Chris explained. "These are administrative citations — police don’t stop you. Someone can record you from the sidewalk, and you get fined by the port authority. It's not fair."
Chris outlined the escalating fines: $250 for the first offense, $500 for the second, $2,500 for the third, and $5,000 for subsequent violations. "Why couldn’t they meet us in the middle and make the speakers uniform?" he asked. We thought of the headphones like a silent disco, but how are we going to sanitize the headphones and talk our riders into wearing headphones? It's not the same."
Not everyone outside of the local pedicab family agrees with the crackdown. A Cortez Hill resident, Kevin Bale, voiced his frustration with the October decision. "The funny thing is there’s already a city law prohibiting music that can be heard more than 50 feet away — it’s just not enforced. And now they’re going to enforce this? Yes, it can be annoying, but we live in a major U.S. city."
While some downtown dwellers appreciate quieter streets, others see pedicabs as nuisances. Complaints include unclear pricing and fare disputes. New rules aim to fix this by requiring upfront fare agreements and visible rates. Chris supports these measures but remains concerned about the music ban.
Chris is a celebrity spotter who recently spotted UFC's CEO, Dana White, and rapper Freddie Gibbs, which adds to the branding of his historic pedicab tours, highlighting landmarks around downtown. "But not all drivers can pivot like this," he said, noting that many operators struggle with language barriers.
Pedicab drivers also face rising costs. On top of the daily rentals the operators must pay and the insurance, "We pay almost $900 for a city permit and about $200 more for the port — and fees keep increasing," Chris said. Since over 240 downtown drivers are affected, San Diego’s pedicab industry and its operators' families are bracing for a challenging year ahead.
Comments