Drive with us
Get paid to ride through the best nights in Austin.
No shift you have to beg out of. No manager watching a clock. You take the cab out when you want to work, you keep what you make, and you go home when you're done.
Driving a pedicab is not a normal job and we're not going to pretend otherwise. Here's the honest version, so you can decide before you waste a trip out to see us.
You're an independent operator. You lease a cab from us, work the hours you choose, and the money you make on the street is yours. Some nights are extraordinary — a big show letting out, a festival weekend, a crowd in a good mood. Some nights it rains and you go home early. The people who do well at this treat it like running a small business, because that is what it is.
The upside is real: you're outside, you're on a bike, you meet more interesting people in a weekend than most jobs manage in a year, and nobody puts you on a Tuesday morning you didn't agree to.
Our cabs are motorized. That matters more to a driver than to anyone else. On a pedal-only cab the hills and the August heat put a hard ceiling on how many fares you can physically do. Motorized means you work longer, cover more ground, take the runs other drivers turn down, and are still functional at closing time. It's the single biggest factor in what you can earn in a night.
The work
What the calendar actually looks like.
Pedicabbing in Austin is seasonal and event-driven. Knowing which nights are worth working is most of the skill.
Weekend nights downtown
Year-round · Sixth, Rainey, West Sixth
Your bread and butter. Sixth closes to cars, the bars empty in waves, and short rides add up fast. Consistent, and the nights you learn the job on.
SXSW
March · the whole downtown core
The biggest week of the year, full stop. Streets closed, crowds everywhere, and brand campaigns running on the cabs at the same time. If you only work one week in Austin, this is it.
ACL weekends
Two weekends in October · Zilker
Long walks between the gates and anywhere you can park, times a hundred thousand tired people. Two of the strongest weekends on the calendar.
UT football & Moody Center
Fall Saturdays · shows year-round
Predictable surges before and after. Learn the traffic patterns around campus and these become some of the easiest money you'll make.
Getting licensed
How to get your Austin chauffeur permit.
You need a City of Austin chauffeur permit before you can take a paying fare. Nobody can wave you past it. It is not difficult, but the order you do things in matters — and most of the guides floating around are years out of date.
Get your driving record first
A certified driving record from every state you've lived in over the past three years. Do this before anything else — the out-of-state ones take longest and everything has to still be current when you file.
Defensive driving, if it applies
Any moving violation in the past three years means you'll need proof of a completed defensive driving course. Take it online, keep the certificate.
Apply online
The application is on the City of Austin mobility services portal. You'll get a confirmation email, then staff review your documents and send you payment and notary instructions.
Get it notarized in Travis County
The application has to be notarized, and it has to be done in Travis County. A notary outside the county will cost you the trip.
Pay the fee
$36 for a new permit, $24 to renew. Renewal can be done in the 30 days before your permit expires — and there is no grace period, so a lapsed permit means starting again.
Pass the written test
In person at 1501 Toomey Road, by appointment, once your application is approved. It covers Austin city code, Texas driving law and downtown landmarks. You get one attempt per day for three days; fail all three and you wait thirty days. Pass and the permit is issued the same day.
Out-of-state license? You can get a conditional permit valid for 90 days while you sort out a Texas one. The city's ground transportation office is on (512) 974-7857, appointment only, and the official page is at austintexas.gov.
Fees and addresses checked against the city in August 2026 — but confirm before you go. We've seen guides online still quoting a $20 fee and an office that moved. If anything here turns out to be wrong, tell us and we'll fix it.
What else we look for
Beyond the permit.
Why us and not the other guys
There are several pedicab companies in this town. Here's our pitch.
Motorized fleet
Not every company runs them. On a hot night or a long run, it's the difference between three more fares and calling it early.
Ad revenue on the bikes
We run brand campaigns — National Geographic, Miller Lite, 3M and others. Wrapped cabs mean work that doesn't depend purely on flagging down fares.
Charter and tour work
Weddings, private tours and group charters are booked in advance. Guaranteed work, on the calendar, before you leave the house.
A small operation
You'll deal with the owner, not a dispatch queue. If something's wrong with your cab you tell a person who can actually fix it.
Questions
What people ask before they start.
How much can I make?
It varies enormously by night, season and how good you are at the job — anyone quoting a guaranteed number is selling you something. Ask and we'll tell you honestly what our drivers are seeing on a normal weekend versus a festival weekend right now.
Do I need my own bike?
No — you lease a cab from us. Terms get worked out directly with you when you call, because they depend on how much you want to work and which nights.
Do I have to work set shifts?
No. You choose when you work. The exception is booked charter and tour work, which is scheduled in advance — if you commit to one of those, we need you there.
Is it hard?
The riding is much easier than people expect, because the cabs are motorized. The hard parts are the late hours, the weather, and learning which corners are worth sitting on. Most people know within two weekends whether it's for them.
How do I start?
Call (512) 633-2405 or email PedicabAdventures@gmail.com. Tell us when you can start and whether you already hold a city permit. We'll go through the lease terms on the call. If a festival weekend is coming up, say so — that's when we need people most.
Drive with us
Want a cab?
Tell us when you can start and whether you already hold a City of Austin pedicab permit. If a festival weekend is coming up, say so — that's when we need people most.
Want a cab this weekend?
Call and ask. If there's a festival on the calendar, we're almost certainly looking for drivers.