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City bylaw change first stop on Pedal Pub route to on-board liquor licence

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/2024/07/02/city-bylaw-change-firs...

A POPULAR boozy Winnipeg trek is seeking to take alcohol on the road — and is the force behind new legislation.

Pedal Pub cycled into Winnipeg in 2022. Its quadricycles — four-wheeled vehicles that users pedal — has since been traversing down Exchange District streets.

Co-owner Brandon Guenther estimates Pedal Pub has pushed more than 500 tours in the last two years. A quadricycle holds 15 people, though the average group books 13 to 14 seats.

People travel from bar to bar, drinking at each destination before hopping back on the bike.

Pedal Pub hopes the sipping will soon be able to continue on the road — after all, the quadricycle has cup holders.

Guenther and his partners applied for a liquor licence through the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba in early 2023, he said.

The LGCA wouldn’t comment on whether it had received an application on the matter; it only says if a licence is approved, spokeswoman Lisa Hansen wrote in an email.

However, other government agency licences and permits must be in place before the LGCA will issue a liquor service licence, she highlighted.

Pedal Pub didn’t fit any vehicle registration class, nor did it need a City of Winnipeg licence in 2022.

So in early 2023, Pedal Pub reached out to the provincial government to create laws targeted at quadricycles, Guenther said.

A provincial spokesperson did not confirm the relationship, but said Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure “consulted with stakeholders throughout its development” of the regulation.

Fast forward to July 31: Manitoba will launch pilot project regulation for large quadricycles.

“We’re fairly excited about it,” Guenther stated, adding he doesn’t expect anything to change with Pedal Pub; it’s just a more legitimate way to operate to get a liquor licence.

There’s one catch — the City of Winnipeg must adopt the regulations or Pedal Pub will have to close. The city’s public works committee is set to discuss the bylaw change today.

Coun. Janice Lukes, chairperson of the committee, figures the change will be approved.

“They’re great. They’re a lot of fun,” she said of Pedal Pub, adding it’s good for government to look into quadricycle regulation.

Guenther plans on speaking at the meeting. He doesn’t foresee issues, given past clearance from the city.

“If it doesn’t pass, that’ll be a huge deterrent to other unique small businesses trying to start in Winnipeg,” Guenther said. “It will also be a huge detriment to downtown Winnipeg tourism.”

Pedal Pub employs around 20 part time staff. Each tour elicits an average $1,200 in spending at local businesses, Guenther highlighted.

The company has 10 bar, restaurant and distillery partners in the Exchange District.

Brock Coutts, Patent 5 Distillery’s cofounder, called Pedal Pub “amazing.” The Alexander Avenue hub is in its third year working with Pedal Pub; it saw 368 cyclists in 2023, Coutts recalled.

Most riders are new customers. “Lots of people who … don’t go downtown are quite happy to go downtown in a group, like the Pedal Pub,” Coutts said. “I think … they find a whole area of Winnipeg that they probably don’t frequent very often and are usually shockingly surprised how nice it is.

“It’s a great boost for all businesses on the route.”

Pedal Pub is a franchise with at least 45 locations. Many of those, including in Alberta and Saskatchewan, allow drinking on their quadricycles.

There’s no risk to safety, Guenther maintained — a sober staff member has control of the bike’s steering and they’re trained to ensure customers don’t get out of hand. Patrons can be removed if they’re too rowdy, Guenther added.

The quadricycle is equipped with an electric motor, a backup if legs fail.

It’s a “great idea,” Paul Larson, a University of Manitoba supply chain management professor, wrote in an email. “I’m not a fan of excessive regulations, but perhaps there should be rules regarding routes and hours of operations — and seat belts.”

Pedal Pub will follow any rules necessary to operate responsibly, Guenther told the Free Press. He didn’t answer whether Pedal Pub has seat belts; the quadricycles seemingly don’t.

Winnipeg’s Pedal Pub moves slowly and travels through areas often trafficked by pedestrians. The partiers slowing other vehicles is a benefit to the streets, Guenther asserted.

He called the past two years in business “very good.” It’s been privy to hundreds of gatherings, including bachelorettes and corporate team building sessions.

Pedal Pub offered an Osborne Village route in 2022, but cancelled it because of difficulties transporting the bike, which is stationed in the Exchange District.

The Manitoba government isn’t aware of any large quadricycles being used outside of Winnipeg, a spokesperson wrote in an email.

The province’s quadricycle pilot project regulation is set to be revoked Jan. 31, 2029.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.commailto:gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com