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News Pedicab prostitutes pedal and peddle for cash By Brian Swarthmore April 1, 2006 San Diego--Pedicabs are a common way of travel throughout the Gaslamp Quarter but some of the folks who pedal them may also be driving their customers when the ride is over. At least that’s the M.O. for a loose-knit group of pedicabbers who call themselves the “Cunto Cowboys.”
The San Diego-based “Cowboys” are the same. They use their job their job pedaling tourists around as an excuse to peddle their services as tour guides, companions and, occasionally, as prostitutes. Take the case of a Cunto Cowboy named Doug Stevens*, who started pedicabbing last summer when he moved to San Diego after graduating from a small liberal arts college in the Midwest. A biking fanatic, Stevens started Pedicabbing on weekends to make extra money, but soon discovered his nightly fares didn’t always cover the cost of leasing the bike. Stevens almost gave up until one night when he was giving a lift to two German tourists, a husband and a wife. “It was my last fare and I was just sort of semi-joking about my poor night and how I wasn’t going to be able to afford dates unless things improved. The woman said a man with legs like mine should have lots of women wanting to pay for his drinks. “I didn’t think much of it—I mean, I thought it was nice—but they started talking German to each other so I just kept pedaling. When we got to the hotel, it was pretty empty around the street and the woman left while the man paid the bill. “He was about 45 and told me a young man should learn to use any assets he has—especially ones that attracted the attention of others, and pointed toward my legs. Then he asked me if I thought his wife was attractive. I told him, ‘Of course,’ and he told me that they were swingers and asked me if I would be willing to make love to her while he watched.” “I hadn’t done anything like that since my sophomore year in college so I kind of demurred but then he said that it would be strictly business and he gave me $100.” Stevens says he spent a few hours with the couple in their suite and left with another $200 and, he thought, a great story about a one-time fling. That is, until he mentioned the tale to a fellow pedicab driver—who prefers to be called “Bud Greenbaum”—who clued him in that pedicab prostitution wasn’t uncommon, and introduced Stevens to the “Cunto Cowboys.” Greenbaum, a tall, blond-haired man in his late 20s, pedicabs three nights a week but has his eyes on certain types of fares—the kind that are looking for love as well as a lift. “The German and Australian girls are usually straight up if they want it and are flattered if you tell them you find them sexy. They sometimes get offended when you bring up the money so I try to make it sound like I’m on duty and just need the cash to cover the lease fee.” “On the other hand, some Japanese girls put their hands over their mouth and act shocked at first. Funny thing is, they don’t say no. But some will sit in the pedicab all night waiting for me to make a move—especially if they know I’ve been with one of her friends.” Some Cunto Cowboys prefer to do their business in a hotel room but Greenbaum likes to do things out in the open. He has friends in some of the more secluded parking garages who let him park his Cab there for a few minutes in exchange for a few bucks or, he says, “a few bong hits—and they usually want the pot more.” Although Stevens and Greenbaum claim they are only soliciting women or couples, they admit pedicab drivers who are willing to have sex with gay customers can make a lot of bread. “A lot of us also ride bikes and shave our legs for competition,” Stevens says. “And that’s sometimes more appealing to men than women. Also, the gay guys tip more than women.” Greenbaum says one Cowboy—an ex-Navy guy called “the Seaman”—is able to average $150 from his “trikes” (the pedicab slang for carnal customers) by talking about his four-year-old’s upcoming birthday before and after the sex act. Greenbaum jokes, “That fucker’s kid seems to have a birthday every weekend.” Stevens and Greenbaum admit the Pedicab prostitution pads their wallets but it isn’t always a sure thing. Greenbaum says he usually doesn’t work during the annual Comic-Con because “there aren’t enough girls and, even if there are, after pedaling around some of the fat comic book geeks, I’m too tired to pump.” In addition, Stevens says the Cunto Cowboy code is “kind of like the code of Kevin Costner’s character in the Bodyguard: Never fall in love.” “Sometimes you pedal push a trike and they start expecting you to drive them everywhere. One girl even wanted me to pretend to be her date at a family reunion in Santee. No way am I into that. What’s that saying? No life west of I-5?” Greenbaum doesn’t know how long he’ll pedicab but admits he’s hoping to do it until he and Stevens save up enough money to create a porn website based around their trysts. He plans to start collecting footage when he gets a camera phone in a few weeks. *Names and identifying details have been changed in some instances. -------------------- Brian Swarthmore is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to Vyuz. 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