2. Main Purpose of this Prospectus
To persuade you that the service Chariots of Philly
provides is valuable to the City of Philadelphia,
and to request your support of this service.
To do so, we will describe:
• the service we provide
• our background and
history
• our mission
• our goals
• benefits our service
brings to the city of
Philadelphia
• current issues that
need to be resolved
3. We hope to earn your support
Why are we asking for
your support now?
In the fall of 2006 we received a “Cease Operations” order from Philadelphia’s Licenses
and Inspections after serving customers on public roads near the stadiums. We filed an
appeal and had multiple hearings requesting that L & I allow us to continue providing
our service.
L & I instructed us to obtain the support of the city council representatives in the
districts where we plan to provide our service.
In 2007 the Cease Operations order was upheld. However, we filed an appeal with the
Court of Common Pleas, and have a court date set for May.
What form of support
do we need?
We need the support of City Council persons in the form
of a written endorsement for our business. We hope this
will convince Licenses and Inspections to allow us to
continue providing our service.
4. The Service We Provide
We are Philadelphia’s first
human-powered transportation service.
We provide rides to customers who sit on padded seats on a
steel trailer which is hitched to and towed by a bicycle.
One person rides the bicycle, and
the trailer seats anywhere from
1 to 3 passengers.
We have 3 main customers:
(1) those who want to ride for pure
enjoyment, with no particular destination in mind
(2) those who need to get somewhere and want a fun or
stylish way to arrive at their destination
(3) those who have a long, perhaps unsafe, walk back to
their car or home
5. The Service We Provide:
Safety
• Our bikes and trailers are built
tough and safe
• Our riders wear bright yellow
jerseys, easily seen by drivers
• Each trailer is bright yellow,
each bike has a horn and
headlight and each trailer has
bright lights operated by a 12
volt car battery
• We have never had a single accident, and
• We do a thorough safety check
not one of our riders or passengers has ever
every time a bike is going to
been injured
taken out, and have regularly
scheduled professional tune-ups
6. Our Background and History
Chariots of Philly is a Sole Proprietorship.
We have had a Business Privilege License
from the City of Philadelphia since
April 30, 2004.
(license code 3702, license number 169679,
business tax number 8111841)
We claim every cent that our business
earns, and file taxes with the city annually.
Our main operating hours are on weekend evenings.
We began serving the neighborhood of Manayunk in 2004, but have also
served Center City and the stadiums in South Philly.
As a result of problems operating in Philadelphia, we expanded to Avalon,
New Jersey and had a very successful summer there for two reasons:
(1) we had so many customers that wanted our service that we could hardly
keep up with demand.
(2) even more importantly, the Borough of Avalon and entire Police
Department welcomed and supported our service... they were glad to see
that Avalon residents and visitors had a safe means of transportation, and a
desirable alternative to drinking and driving.
7. Our Mission
(why we do what we do and hope to continue doing it)
We have consistently sought to serve our customers by giving them not just a ride on the back of
a bicycle, but a few moments of pure joy that will become a life-long memory. This memory
may be of a romantic ride down the street, a thrilling yet laughter-filled ride with a group of
friends, or cheering on a charioteer as he or she conquers a hill thanks to the support of his or
her passengers.
More than providing a few moments of pure joy, we seek to truly serve each community in
which we ride.
Underlying everything we do, we hope to share the love of Jesus by following Paul’s example
as he puts it in I Corinthians 9:22: “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible
means I might save some” because according to Jesus in John 4:13-14, “Everyone who drinks
this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst”. We
simply hope to be servants to those we encounter and to share this love that has transformed
our lives.
We are thankful to have had many opportunities to help those who have been lost safely find
their way late at night, give those who have been drinking an alternative to driving, take those
who have run out of gas to the gas station, or simply provide directions to those looking for a
particular restaurant, address, or other destination. We have a heart for Philadelphia, those
who live here and those who are visiting, and hope to serve this city for decades to come.
8. Benefits our Service Brings to the City
• Philadelphia is already “going green” (see www.phila.gov/green) . . . our pollution-free service
fits perfectly with this goal and provides similar benefits to the successful Philly
Car Share, and the yet-to-be-implemented Bike Share Philadelphia
• Provides the same benefit of a town watch program, our riders serve as
watch-dogs for the police
• Adds character and charm to the city
• Provides visitors to Philadelphia with an unforgettable
memory of their visit . . .
• . . . one woman from
Pittsburgh, after
taking a ride with us,
exclaimed
“Philadelphia has
redeemed itself!!!”
and told us she had
not was not
impressed with our
city until taking a
bike ride with us
• Reduces drinking &
driving
9. Our Goals & Plans for the Future
We enjoyed the success and warm welcome we had in Avalon, New Jersey. . . but our
heart remains in Philadelphia! We desire more than anything to establish our service as a
permanent part of the culture of this city.
Our primary goal at this
time is to be available for
all sporting and other
events at the stadiums.
This part of the city has a need for
and can sustain more bike taxis than
any other area. Our service would
allow people to park further from the
stadiums, or be more encouraged to
take public transportation knowing
they can also ride with us to get to their entrance, and back again when the event
is over. This would certainly cut down on traffic congestion.
10. Current Issues that Need to be
Resolved in order for the City to
Continue to Benefit from this Service
Currently Philadelphia Licenses and
Inspections has placed a Cease Operations
order on our business license. We need
that to be removed so that we can
continue to operate.
We need the support of City Council
members so that we can show the city
and L & I that you see the benefits of this
service. . . this should allow them to
remove our Cease Operations order, and
move forward by finding ways to
encourage this service which benefits the
city in countless ways.
We have preliminary hearings in March 2008 and a court date in
May 2008 (Dambman vs. Philadelphia Licenses & Inspections).
We need your written support so that we can bring it to our
hearings and court date! If we wait, it may be too late to prevent
the city from losing out on this valuable service!
11. We Need Your Support so we can
Continue to Serve Philadelphia!
Thank you for taking some time to learn about the
service Chariots of Philly provides, the benefits to
Philadelphia, and why we need to keep this service
alive!
Please contact me, owner Ben Dambman,
TODAY so that I can answer any questions you have,
and so I can gain your written support before we
lose out on all the benefits which bike taxis and
pedicabs bring to a city!
267.307.7020 cell
ben@chariotsofphilly.com
PO Box 5871, Philadelphia, PA 19128
