In the Public Eye: Glen Cappetta

Position: Owner of Sun Ride Pedicab
Hometown: Hershey, Pa.

When Glen Cappetta decided to start his own pedicab company, he had a business model in mind, but he knew finding the perfect location would be crucial to the company’s success.

After traveling from city to city to test the various markets, the Pennsylvania native finally landed on Siesta Key nearly two years ago, and he hasn’t turned back since.

“I didn’t even know about Siesta Key at the time,” said Cappetta. “I kind of stumbled upon it, and now, I hardly even leave the island. I just love it here —how can you not?”

Cappetta found Siesta Key’s laid-back mentality and emphasis on conservation to go hand in hand with his business model of an eco-friendly bicycle taxi service.

“My business mantra is to be as eco-friendly as possible,” said Cappetta. “With the efforts to protect the turtles and the plovers, it really seemed to fit the island perfectly. It just felt like a logical extension.”

After settling in, Cappetta logged in close to 10 months of hard pedaling as the company’s lone driver, where he says he “earned his bones.” But today, he has a fleet of five bikes and 15 drivers working seven days a week to provide tips-only transportation in the Siesta Key Village, the public beaches and the South Village.

In addition to maintaining a green business, Cappetta also hopes to bring a professional face to the industry. He says that in other, larger cities, the pedicab business has earned a bad reputation for misleading customers about prices, and he hopes to dispel some of those negative stereotypes by being honest, employing personable, background-checked drivers and making safety a top priority.

At the end of the day, Cappetta says he’s happy to be making a living with one of his hobbies in a beautiful location.

“Having the opportunity to bring this unique service to this paradise island is a dream come true,” said Cappetta. “I’m in awe every day.”