THEY say there's no such thing as a free ride, but that will no longer be the case in Dublin city centre.
Weary pedestrians will be whisked around the centre in pedal-powered 'Ecocabs' free of charge.
The only emission will be the sweat on the cyclists' brows.
The passenger tricycles were launched yesterday by Environment Minister Dick Roche, Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Vincent Jackson and model Katy French, above.
They will be the country's first non-polluting form of public transport.
Traditional taxis face healthy competition from the free public shuttle service - between 10am and 8pm, seven days a week.
Ecocabs Ireland will cover costs entirely through corporate sponsorship. Companies can display their logos on the cabs' shell.
There will be an initial fleet of five, increasing to seven during the summer. Further expansion is planned if the necessary sponsorship materialises.
The cabs cannot be hailed from the street but at designated Ecocab ranks - at The Spire on O'Connell Street, the top and bottom of Grafton Street, outside the Central Bank on College Green, and the Dublin Tourism Office on Suffolk Street.
Dublin is the 50th city in the world to introduce Ecocabs, which were created in Berlin.
Breda Heffernan
Sunday Independent
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