Pedicab operator urges council to ease DUI disqualification at public hearing; ordinance laid over

The council held a public hearing on proposed changes to Chapter 375 of the legislative code that would allow pedicabs to pull a trailer, remove hours restrictions and adopt uniform license procedures. Fernando Scott, a local pedicab owner, urged the council to amend section 375.5(b)(5), which the ordinance text lists as disqualifying anyone with a DUI in the past three years from obtaining a pedicab driver’s license.

Scott told the council he supports public-safety protections but said the three-year disqualification “goes too far, especially for first-time DUI offenders,” and he asked the council to shorten the disqualification period or create a waiver process for drivers who have completed treatment and met other legal requirements. Scott said there is no recorded history of DUI-related incidents involving pedicab drivers in Saint Paul or Minnesota and noted research-based points he said the council should consider: a cited reoffense rate for first-time DUI offenders of roughly 12–15 percent and that ignition-interlock programs reduce reoffense risk. He added that stable employment reduces recidivism and suggested that excluding qualified applicants could impede reentry into the workforce.

Council Member Jost moved to close the public hearing and lay the ordinance over for final adoption. The council voted to close the hearing and schedule final action; during the roll call the council corrected the return date to July 23. The council’s action ended the public-hearing record and scheduled the ordinance for final adoption at a later meeting; the council did not adopt the pedicab ordinance on July 16.

Fernando Scott’s request and the council’s decision to lay the ordinance over mean the council will have an opportunity to consider whether to revise the DUI disqualification language or to add a waiver process before final adoption.