Mendez says consumers cannot identify licensed pedicabs

I'd just like to add in addition that the consumer has no opportunity to help drive out the unlicensed drivers by identifying which cabs are safe to get in, right?

There's really no way to identify.

on the street.

And that seems like an inexpensive fix to make it very, very clear which cabs are licensed by this city and which are not and make it hard for cabs that look illegitimate to get riders.

In addition to right-sizing the insurance, of course.

So do you think with more information on the street or through DCWBP or on the cab itself, people and consumers will be able to make better informed choices?

Or is it if they're still going to be able to just...

The unlicensed pedicabs still going to be able to just say, well, you know, come us, we're cheaper, or like they're still going to incentivize people doing this.

Like, I'm not sure what's driving people to get into a licensing scheme if they can just operate.

And potentially defraud consumers, or even if they don't defraud them, charge them the same price, there's no incentive in the structure we have right now to license people.

Right.

I completely agree with you.

I think this is a multi-pronged answer, which is why we put forth a report with a series of multi-part recommendations that tax us from different angles.

But I do think that's one aspect of it.

There could be a consumer education campaign around which pedicabs to get into, which not to get into, and to have plates that are legitimate looking and a barcode that actually...

actually associates the registration and the license of the person driving the cab.

Right now, as Kenny and McCann shared, there's no information sharing between agencies, so there's no way to hold anybody accountable.

And like I said, consumers are just sort of taking their chances.