OU fans can hitch a ride to stadium
Brickshaw Buggy helps ease trek
OU fans can hitch a ride to stadium

By James S. Tyree

Published: September 1, 2007

NORMAN — What started as a college student's idea for a business has morphed into comfort and convenience for University of Oklahoma football fans.

Brickshaw Buggy is returning to Norman for football season, starting with tonight's game. OU is scheduled to play North Texas at 6 p.m., and Rocky Chavez said his drivers will provide rickshaw-like transportation service from three hours before kickoff until about two hours after each game.

The pedicabs, styled after rickshaw carts pulled by a single person, are 21-speed bicycles customized with a welded frame and fiberglass cart with cushioned seats. The name "Brickshaw” refers to its base of operations in Oklahoma City's Bricktown district along with the vehicles' rickshaw heritage.

Chavez, 24, said his eight pedicabs will be in Norman on OU game days. Brickshaw Buggy also operates in Stillwater when the Oklahoma State University football team has home games; it will be the company's second season in both college towns.

"It's a perfect time and a perfect setting for a business like this because the parking in Norman gets spread out real fast,” said Griff Pippin, an OU student and operations manager for Brickshaw Buggy. "It seems to be a thriving business for football games.”

Brickshaw Buggy LLC has grown quickly in just 1½ years to having dozens of part-time drivers for its fleet of pedicabs. Chavez is the company's president, Steve Johnson is in charge of maintenance and Pippin heads operations.

Pippin's father, Tra Pippin, is the Oklahoma City Community College adjunct business professor who mentored Chavez and other students on the endeavor. Chavez's idea became a project for Tra Pippin's entrepreneurship class, where Chavez said he and other students "found out it was very possible to create the business.”

Chavez put his idea to the test on March 17, 2006, the first day of operation, when Chavez pedaled as the company's only driver. It was St. Patrick's Day, so he cruised around Bricktown parties in search of customers.

"I really stood out that day, and everyone stopped and pointed,” Chavez said. "In that first hour, I made no money, zero dollars, and I was very discouraged.”

Dejected, Chavez decided to try the Ford Center, where the NCAA was having its national wrestling tournament. A woman with a baby hailed the pedicab, so Chavez stopped, delivered her to her hotel, and received a tip that he assumed was a $20 bill.

He went on to pick up a few more riders over the next two hours, but Chavez discovered afterward that his first rider — the nice woman with the baby — actually handed him a $100 tip.

Pedaling a pedicab takes getting used to, Chavez said, "but after a week it's not too hard.” He now leaves the driving to other people, primarily students, who pay the company to use the vehicle and are paid in turn by tips from riders.

Running the business, which includes seeking advertising and event revenue, is still time-consuming — and that's on top of Chavez being a full-time marketing major at Oklahoma City University.

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