When ladies in stilettos want to go bar hopping on a First Friday in Chinatown and need a ride to the next watering hole, they call on Honolulu Pedicab.

The pedicab, which is basically a rickshaw for two attached to the front of a bicycle, is powered by Kirk Hendricks, a former paralegal who turned his passion for cycling into a business.

The First Friday block party is a regular beat for Hendricks, 40, who also totes tourists between the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Ala Moana Center in Waikiki.

During pau hana time on a Friday, “I can get down Ala Moana faster than a taxicab,” he says.

He knows all the short cuts through town. Most clients are local, but he also gets visitors who go on his guided tours during the week.

The tour, which lasts about an hour and a half, is generally a route from Aloha Tower Marketplace through historic downtown Honolulu and Chinatown, past the King Kamehameha statue, Iolani Palace and the state Capitol.

Hendricks provides commentary on the architecture of Merchant Street and goes around to both sides of the Capitol, pointing out the statues of Queen Lili‘uokalani and Father Damien. In Chinatown, he points out places to get a good cocktail.

He can carry up to two passengers, with a maximum weight limit of 600 pounds (although he says he pedaled two University of Hawaii football players around town who probably weighed more than that).

Rides cost $2 for the first minute and 50 cents for every minute thereafterward. A ride from the Aloha Tower  to Chinatown will cost about $5. Tours cost about $50 and last an hour and a half.

Riding in the pedicab allows passengers to see and hear more, including street conversations, the music coming out of clubs and cars whizzing by. You can feel the wind in your hair and all the bumps in the road. It’s also an eco-friendly mode of transportation.

“You get a different perspective,” he said. “In a car, you miss a lot of details.”

Hendricks, who moved here from San Diego (where there are numerous pedicabs) six years ago, says Honolulu Pedicab is the only one around with a business license from the city.

Pedicabs were once a common site in Waikiki back in the 1980s. In 1989, the Honolulu City Council passed a “slow-moving vehicle” ordinance that effectively banned them from major thoroughfares.

Hendricks launched Honolulu Pedicabs when he got laid off from his paralegal job a litte more than a year ago. He purchased a second pedicab in January and hired four other operators.

Hendricks says he tries not to impede traffic as he travels an average of 10 to 15 miles per hour, and is careful about obeying all traffic rules.

Pulling a pedicab is challenging, both physically and mentally, but Hendricks says it’s his dream come true. “If I wasn’t having fun, I wouldn’t be doing this,” he said.