Touring the Historic District can be associated with carriages and trolleys and, now, bikes as well.
After three years in operation, Savannah Slow Ride has grown from three bikes, called “crawlers,” to seven bikes and from two employees to 13, said owner Samantha Meier.
“It’s a tour powered by the people,” said Meier.
Most recently, the company renovated a building on the property of First African Baptist Church, at 420 W. Bryan St.
This gives the company a prime location at Franklin Square, said Meier.
According to Meier, the Slow Ride has doubled business over the past year and is reaching out to new audiences, including local corporations.
“We have the resources to handle corporate events,” said Meier. “We want corporations to do something different in Savannah.”
Meanwhile, Savannah Slow Ride’s sister company, Crawler Fabrications, continues to build the specialized bikes that can carry up to 15 riders and feature lights and radio powered by solar panels.
“(The Slow Ride) was only in two or three cities when we started,” said Meier. “Now there are 38 bikes around the nation.”
All of the slow rides are independent companies, but most receive their crawlers from Crawler Fabrications, said Meier.
Savannah Slow Ride’s growth comes after a 2012 controversy over its conformity with the city’s open-container laws.
The dispute ended when it was determined that riders could carry one drink per person in a regulation plastic cup, which is in accordance with the city’s open-container laws for pedestrians.
“With the controversy came so much education about our business and our bikes,” said Meier.
She credits the city’s tourism management and ambassadorship department for the continued “fair representation” of her business.
The Slow Ride’s weekend schedule starts at 10:30 a.m., and runs until 8:30 at night, said Meier, and reservations are a must.
She said she hopes to expand her business with continued demand, but its service to tourism in the city remains the same.
“One of our goals is to take our business to other businesses in the city,” said Meier. “For the most part, everywhere we stop is local.”