A BRAND new rickshaw service has officially launched in Oswestry much to the delight of the town council.
The new attraction aims to bring people out of their cars and getting on board with active and sustainable travel around the town, as well as providing a tourism boost.
The launch at the Park Gates saw the deputy mayor of Oswestry, Councillor Jay Moore in attendance, alongside members of Shropshire Cycle Hub and Oswestry Business Improvement District (BID).
Mark Fermor from Shropshire Cycle Hub said: “We are keen to promote active travel and more sustainable ways to get around.
“We are promoting bikes and giving people the chance to ride rickshaws instead of getting the car out.
“More than half of journeys are less than three miles, county towns of Shropshire, like Oswestry lend themselves well to local journeys to be by cycling and walking and the rickshaw is a great option.”
It is hoped the increasing number of rickshaws will promote the local tourist sector in the town.
Mr Fermor added: “We are working with Oswestry BID and Oswestry Town Council and we want to really give this as a great new opportunity to get around.
“There are quite a lot of visitors to the town and it is a great visitor attraction.”
Cllr Moore believes the rickshaws will be a great benefit to Oswestry and has experienced riding them when visiting south east Asia.
He said: “It is really about trying to bring an experience to Oswestry.
“It is a free service as well so people can just jump on a rickshaw go around the town, they can pre-book or just jump on ad-hoc.
“It is just a bit of fun and I think that’s what people really need.”
The town has just one rickshaw currently, but Cllr Moore said they will be looking to increase the numbers and hopes it will help with the tourist sector in the future.
He added: “I think the idea is to build it from just a service around town where we will be operating on market days and weekends.
“To then start looking at doing more tourist kind of tours.
“We have got so many fantastic amenities and sites of history.
“Everything from the British Ironworks Centre, Hillfort, our fantastic town park, a plethora of independent shops in town.
“There is an awful lot to come to Oswestry and enjoy and now you can do it from the comfort of this rickshaw, so even better.”
If you are interested in getting involved, you can contact shropshirecyclehub@gmail.com