The only good thing about hitting rock bottom is you can only go up. After years of run-ins with the law, painful addictions, and unmanaged ADD, I was at the end of my rope. My life was out of control. But sometimes, even in the darkest of circumstances, we are given a guiding light to show us the way out. For me, this light was the news that I would shortly become the father to a beautiful baby boy. And that, as they say, was that. I became 100% dedicated to turning myself into a force of good and someone that my son would be proud of.
Due to my circumstances, I found myself living in a homeless shelter in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I had no driver’s licenses and no transportation so I needed a plan to earn income that did not rely on these things. I knew that, with my history, my job prospects were limited. For some, entrepreneurship is a goal. For me it was a necessity. During my stay in the shelter, I worked four jobs and saved every cent I could. On March, 6th 2016, I bought my first pedicab and hit the streets of Ann Arbor picking up and dropping off people for commissions.
There is something about a ride in a pedicab that forces people to have fun and smile. I loved being able to make someone’s day a little brighter. I realized that this was not only a good way to earn a living, it was also a way to make my corner of the world a little happier. I knew that this needed to grow. Over the next year and a half, Boober grew into a fleet of 17 pedicabs that operated year-round. As a way of giving back, we hired new bicycle taxi drivers that were in recovery and needed a steady income and a second chance. Boober also provides life-skill workshops to our employees so they could continue to grow. Today, we are expanding, both in size and scope. We are now offering weddings and corporate event services as well as pub crawl taxis. We also partner with the business community by providing a mobile advertising platform. Our future goals are to take the Boober Tours philosophy regionally and to expand online with a pedicab ride app and advertising. But we are still dedicated to giving back, promoting positivity, and making the world a little happier, one pedicab ride at a time.
