'Former pedicab operator with a BA degree, Hussein, now prefers hauling dirty socks and T-shirts to humans — because they don’t complain'
http://www.mystatesman.com/news/lifestyles/recreation/wash-cycle-laundry-uses-bicycles-for-pickup-and-de/nnxbP/ Wash Cycle Laundry uses bicycles for pickup and delivery Oct. 9, 2015 By Pam LeBlanc [images / Ralph Barrera http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/lt/lt_cache/thumbnail/715/img/photos/2015/10/07/3c/96/rbz-Wash-Cycle-Laundry-01.jpg Wash Cycle Laundry is a bicycle-powered laundry delivery and pickup service in Austin. Cyclist Team Leader Josh Malone makes a delivery and pickup of laundry at Mantis Massage at 3823 Airport Blvd. on Sept. 16. http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/lt/lt_cache/thumbnail/715/img/photos/2015/10/07/17/8e/rbz-Wash-Cycle-Laundry-05.jpg http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/lt/lt_cache/thumbnail/715/img/photos/2015/10/07/6f/66/rbz-Wash-Cycle-Laundry-07.jpg ] Pedal-powered service makes it easy to navigate downtown, manager says When Tim Hussein makes his rounds in downtown Austin [TX], people sometimes think he’s peddling ice cream. Instead, he’s pedaling laundry. Hussein, general manager for Wash Cycle Laundry in Austin, doubles as a delivery driver for the bicycle-powered laundry service, which started in Philadelphia in 2010 and expanded last year to Austin and Washington, D.C. He uses an adult-sized tricycle to pick up dirty clothes, spins over to a nearby laundry facility, suds things up and zips back with a stack of freshly laundered garments. In Philly, the company’s customers have included the Philadelphia Eagles and a Veterans Administration medical center. Here in Austin, Wash Cycle Laundry works with members of a University of Texas fraternity, spas and salons, a dog-grooming business, gyms and a yoga studio. The company’s bikes are equipped with a roomy cargo hold and a pedal-assist feature that provides an electric boost — a good thing when you’re hauling up to 300 pounds of laundry and your bike already weighs 150 pounds. Austin’s hills and heat just add to the challenge. “It’s a good workout,” Hussein says. The bright orange and blue delivery trikes get lots of attention on the road, most of it good. But not everyone understands how it works. “Some people think we do the laundry on the bike,” says Gabriel Mandujano, who founded the company and dropped by Austin recently. “Or they think we hang the laundry out to dry it off,” says Hussein, a former pedicab operator who now prefers hauling dirty socks and T-shirts to humans — because they don’t complain. Mandujano says the company is committed to sustainability — and that’s part of the reason it uses bicycles for delivery. Bikes leave a smaller carbon footprint than trucks or cars, and they’re easier to park downtown than motor vehicles. “The question isn’t just, ‘Is it cheaper to move 300 pounds 1 mile on a bike or a truck?’ Mandujano says. “Using bikes allows us to use (laundry) facilities closer to our clients.” And that speeds up the wash-dry-pedal cycle. Clients pay $1.50 a pound for one-day service, with a 10-pound minimum and volume discounts. Dry cleaning starts at $2.50 per garment. The service area is loosely bounded by MoPac Boulevard, Airport Boulevard, 51st Street and the river, but plans are in the works to expand south of the river. “All benefits aside, it’s a lot easier to navigate traffic. It’s not just for brownie points,” Hussein says. [© 2015 Cox Media] ... http://www.mystatesman.com/news/lifestyles/recreation/wash-cycle-laundry-uses-bicycles-for-pickup-and-de/nnxbP/#modal-8245851 Wash Cycle Laundry uses bicycles for pickup and delivery ... http://www.pressreader.com/usa/austin-american-statesman/20151010/282441347920091/TextView Bike power laundry service http://www.washcyclelaundry.com/austin Wash Cycle Laundry will pick up your dirty laundry on a bike and bring it back clean tomorrow ... https://www.linkedin.com/pub/tim-hussein/104/720/733 Tim Hussein General Manager Wash Cycle Laundry October 2014 – Present Austin, Texas Area Pedicabber Movemint Bike Cab July 2011 – October 2014 Various Locations Cyclist Wash Cycle Laundry August 2013 – August 2014 Philadelphia, PA The University of Texas at Arlington Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), English Language and Literature 2006–2011 [© 2015 linkedin.com] 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/BA-degree-d-e-trike-pedicab-r-now-hauls-uncomplaining-dirty-socks-tp4678107.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)
