NYS reviewing whether Fire Island pedicabs should return next summer
The pedicab service that runs from Robert Moses Field 5 to the Fire Island Lighthouse and the border of Kismet is being examined by New York State to determine whether such a service should continue next year, said George Gorman, Long Island regional director for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Over the next four to six weeks, the state will analyze the impact that Fire Island Pedicab, which has been in operation for the past five years, has had on Robert Moses State Park operations, including areas such as how much space the business takes up, Gorman said. If it’s decided that a pedicab service should continue, a request for proposal process will be open to all to compete for the rights to operate the business, he said.
"If we decide to move forward, pedicabs will be in place for next summer," Gorman said.
Justin Galbraith, 55, of North Babylon, began Fire Island Pedicab with one cab in 2019, using a bicycle pedicab with power assist to carry passengers who don't want to walk to the lighthouse or Kismet. At the height of the business last summer, he was running six bright yellow pedicabs — two six-seaters and four three-seaters — daily from Memorial Day through Thanksgiving to transport thousands of riders. He also was permitted to set up a booth at the edge of the park and use three parking spaces for storage pods.
This summer, according to his 2024 annual permit, the state limited him to three six-seater pedicabs and instructed him to end service on Labor Day instead of Thanksgiving. It costs $5 for a ride to the lighthouse, and $10 per person for a ride to Kismet, as it has for the past five years; children under 12 are free. Galbraith said the business made more than $25,000 last summer.
The expansion of the business is what caused the state to limit it this summer and to now examine whether it should continue, Gorman said. Once a business provides a service on state park property that earns more than $25,000 a year, it requires a contract with the state instead of just a permit, he said. Competition must be encouraged before a contract is awarded, according to procurement and contract management requirements from the Office of the New York State Comptroller.
"Basically, the service has expanded greatly," Gorman said. "We have to do a thorough review of this now. We have to vet it; we have to make sure it’s an appropriate activity within Robert Moses State Park." The state must determine the appropriate number of pedicabs and the best number of parking lot spaces to devote to pedicab storage, he said. A contract also should benefit the people of New York State, requiring some "proper return" in exchange for the use of the state property, he said.
Whoever competes for the contract must meet minimum qualifications and present a financial component, Gorman said. "It’s got to be somebody who’s got some background in it," he said.
Galbraith said he was made aware that his business might not be able to continue in the same way or at all in March. He employs a seasonal staff of 12, he said. He cut their hours following this year's operational limitations.
"I started this business from nothing," Galbraith said. "Why would someone create a business and build it just to have it taken away? Obviously, we will be using all our resources and our experience to maintain and continue the pedicabs."
The Fire Island Lighthouse, local Kismet restaurants and pedicab riders say the service has been a plus for them.
"The pedicab has been a real positive for the lighthouse," said Fire Island Lighthouse board member Tony Femminella. The pedicabs allow people to visit who can’t make the 3/4-mile walk from the Field 5 beach, and the pedicabs also help transport visitors for lighthouse special events, he said. The lighthouse does not have a public parking lot or ferry service; walking is the only other practical way to get there other than the pedicab ride, he said.
The Dive restaurant in Kismet also benefits from the pedicab service, because diners come over for a meal, said Taylor Figgiani, general manager. "It definitely helps us get more customers over to Kismet and get them to discover Fire Island a little bit more," she said.
Victor Liotta, 90, and his wife, Rose, 87, use the pedicab to get to the Kismet house they've owned for 47 years. "I depend on the pedicabs," he said. Taking the ferry is too much of a challenge for them between finding a parking spot and then getting to the dock, he said. "It's just a nice thing for a lot of people."
Fire Island Pedicab also runs three pedicabs from downtown Bay Shore parking lots to the ferry terminals on Maple Avenue; that service began this summer and is not affected by the Kismet permit situation, Galbraith said.
Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.
