When traveling to Asia after being laid off from
Hershey's, the last two things David Thorin expected to find were a wife and a new career. Lucky for him—and for
East Lansing—he found both in Thailand.
"The Thai have these things called
tuk tuks," Thorin says. "They’re kind of like the equivalent to Great Britain’s double-decker buses. They were everywhere, and you’d get your picture taken next to them."
It was more than a year later when he and his new wife returned to East Lansing to find that the tuk tuk concept that works so well overseas could have a whole new application for
MSU students.
"I'd planned on going back into the food industry," says Thorin. "But then I noticed that the bike paths were gone in East Lansing. I asked students how they got around and most said they walked or they took
CATA. That got me thinking about the tuk tuks."
That thought has now evolved into a business that is ready to take East Lansing by storm this spring.
Thorin’s
Spar-Thai Green Cab will kickoff with 12 electric pedicabs from
Ped E cab Inc. offering rides within the East Lansing service area, as well as door-to-door laundry service. He expects to train and employ 24-30 permanent part-time employees in the process.
Riders will be able to choose between a one-way ride anywhere in the service area for $2.50 or the $1 Rock and Roll rate.
"For a dollar you can hop on a bike, which will be playing music, and you can go as far as it will take you before the next full song ends," says Thorin.
The Spar-Thai office is currently located at 420 Albert St. in
Downtown East Lansing. Thorin expects the transportation and laundry service to be available to the public between mid-March and early May.
Source: David Thorin, Spar-Thai Green Cab
Writer: Natalie Burg, Interim News Editor
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