Saskatoon entrepreneurs launch ‘pedal pub,’ first of its kind in city

There’s a new way to travel around Saskatoon’s downtown on your next summer night out.

Pedal pubs are here in the city. The pubs seat 15 and bookings are now open for the launch, which is scheduled for June 1.

One of the four owners, Tate Porter, joined the Brent Loucks Show on Monday morning.

“(It) is a pedal-powered patio. So you get groups together, you bike downtown from pub to pub while listening to your favourite tunes,” Porter said. “The bikes a pretty big bike. It’s a 15-seater, but obviously with COVID regulations right now, we are limited to having eight people per bike.”

The guests actually pedal the bikes, which aren’t licensed as of yet. Porter said the owners hope to work with SLGA in the future to add that element to the business.

She promised that even though the bikes aren’t licensed yet, the pub crawl factor plays a role.

“You’re never more than a song or two away from your next pub,” she said with a laugh.

The idea came back in 2018 when Porter and the other owners travelled to Nashville. They booked a pedal pub, and Porter said it was the highlight of their trip.

“We were sitting in our hotel room and we’re like, ‘Saskatoon needs something like this,’ ” she said.

Two other owners were finishing their business degrees at the University of Saskatchewan and used the pedal pub idea for a business project. Porter said following the presentation, the professor asked if it was something they were going to pursue.

“The rest is history. We’ve been working on it for two years,” she said.

The company has its business licence from the City of Saskatoon. Each bike has a pilot, and each tour is expected to last two hours.

Booking is now live for the June 1 start date. You can find it on the website by clicking here.