http://www.twincities.com/2016/05/05/coming-to-stillwater-the-tuk-tuk/ Tuk-tuk is 'absolutely brilliant idea' says Stillwater mayor May 5, 2016 MARY DIVINE
[image http://www.twincities.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/tuktuk.jpg?w=780 (e-Tuk) ] Jim Cashman Stillwater resident Jim Cashman hopes to bring tuk-tuks -- the three-wheeled motorized rickshaws that are popular in southeast Asia -- to downtown Stillwater this summer. Stillwater got a taste of Italy more than a decade ago when a gondolier started offering rides on the St. Croix River. Now, the city may be getting a slice of Southeast Asia. Tuk-tuks — three-wheeled motorized rickshaws that are popular in Cambodia, China, India, Thailand and Vietnam — could be coming to downtown Stillwater this summer. Stillwater resident Jim Cashman plans to start in June with a six-person “limo version” of the tuk-tuk — which costs about $25,000 — and hopes to add another by the end of summer. Cashman, 59, would not charge per trip, he said, but would rely instead on rider donations and advertising to pay for the venture. “I was trying to think of a great idea for downtown Stillwater, and I thought it would be nice to have something different for moving a few people around at a time,” said Cashman, a stay-at-home dad who has worked in real estate and other businesses. “I started looking online, and I ran across a picture.” Cashman said he hopes that E-TUK MN, the tentative name for his operation, could eventually operate dozens of tuk-tuks in Stillwater, St. Paul and Minneapolis. One possible slogan? “Six passengers. Three wheels. One great time.” Mayor Ted Kozlowski said the business is “an absolutely brilliant idea.” “I think it’s going to be crazy successful,” Kozlowski said. “I want to see a dozen of those things downtown. We’ve always had a goal to get people to really use all of downtown Stillwater — from South Main Street to North Main Street.” The Stillwater City Council on Tuesday night turned down Cashman’s request to rent on-street parking spaces for his tuk-tuks, the way Stillwater Trolley and the BierCycle do. Kozlowski said the city is not interested in dedicating any more parking spots for private businesses. “Personally, I don’t think he really needs them,” the mayor said. “The machines are going to be moving around all the time.” Tuk-tuks are considered “street legal” by the U.S. Department of Transportation; the Minnesota Department of Transportation will license them as motorcycles, said Stillwater community development director Bill Turnblad. “I think it’s a good service,” Turnblad said. “It’s fun, and I think it will be popular and useful.” The tuk-tuks will be battery-operated “so they’ll be quiet and be eco-friendly,” Cashman said, and will travel no faster than 25 mph. Riders will be able to flag down drivers or arrange for pickup via a smartphone app. The vehicles will operate from April through October, mostly in the “flat” downtown area but they can climb small hills, he said. Cashman said he’s been approached by the owner of a bed-and-breakfast who wants to arrange tuk-tuk rides for his guests and that other downtown business owners have talked to him about advertising opportunities. He said he hopes the tuk-tuks can also be used for field trips for schoolchildren. “It would be a great way for them to see downtown and learn about the history of the city,” he said. On June 27, 1889, Minnesota’s first electric street railway system began operating in Stillwater, according to the Washington County Historical Society. Cashman said he hopes to mark the 127th anniversary of that date with the state’s first electric tuk-tuk ride. “We think it would be appropriate for Stillwater to have that first, too,” he said. [© 2016 Digital First Media] ... http://www.stillwatercurrent.com/tuk-tuk-service-coming-downtown-stillwater/ A Tuk-tuk Service is Coming to Downtown Stillwater May 9, 2016 ... http://stillwatergazette.com/2016/05/08/tuk-tuk-service-planned-for-stillwater/ Tuk tuk service planned for Stillwater May 8, 2016 ... [dated] http://cityofstillwater.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=389&meta_id=38020 Cashman tuk-tuk license April 27, 2016 ... City Council deny the request to reserve on-street parking spaces ... ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stillwater,_Minnesota Stillwater is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, directly across the St. Croix River from the state of Wisconsin. The population was 18,225 at the 2010 ... For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-6person-limo-e-Tuk-tuks-bring-rides-eco-tourism-a-taste-of-Asia-more-to-Stillwater-MN-tp4682028.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
