People's initial reactions to the Velotaxi when it finally arrived were varied.

Gazing at it from a distance: "It's such a cute shape." "This is so exciting!" Looking at it up close: "Wow, it's like a weird bicycle!" "Let's try moving it." Riding the Velotaxi: "I see! You're right, it's a bicycle!" "It's great for maneuvering sharp turns!" and so on.

While keeping it a secret that they found it unexpectedly a bit old, they headed toward Hostel Nabla, a hostel run by a project member who had set up a simple parking space ahead of the Velotaxi's arrival.

Here's a shot of the Velotaxi being driven slowly along the coast!

"This could fit in with the island's location and sense of time!" The day was filled with excitement for the start of "something new that would lead to more to come."

On November 25 (Wednesday), regardless of light rain showers, a "lesson to become a Velotaxi driver" was held. The instructor, who also works as a driver for Eat Inc.'s Velotaxi business, arrived from the city of Sendai, as though he had been chasing the Velotaxi to Niijima.

Two potential drivers took part in the lesson, which felt very "handmade."
Two officers from the Niijima Police Department Traffic Section, with whom members have been consulting for some time, also joined the lesson.
In addition, a member of the meeting's administrative office filmed the lesson for future driver training lessons.

The lesson was full of examples taken from real life, and it covered an overview of the vehicle, its history, how to inspect it before driving, what to do while driving, the process leading up to delivery of the vehicle, and other topics.

As it was the first time for all, even for the Niijima police officers who attended, to see the motorless vehicle, they listened to the instructor intently and discussed specific matters related to the Road Traffic Act.

After the lecture that took up the first half of the lesson, the second half was finally spent test-driving the Velotaxi on the island's roads.

They tested the vehicle on narrow village roads, wide roads, and various levels of slopes on hilly roads. How long would the electric assist system last? Was the route that they planned to offer as a TABICA experience even feasible?

The instructor, who was himself an experienced Velotaxi driver, answered each of their many worries in detail, one by one.

One of the most memorable things that the instructor said was, "You shouldn't try to offer a perfect experience. The important thing is to communicate with the guests (customers) who are riding the vehicle. That way, if the Velotaxi gets stuck on a hill, you can ask them to help push it with you. You'll be surprised at how much people appreciate that kind of experience."

"I see!" All participants were convinced by the instructor's stories of his experiences.

The lesson had begun in the drizzling rain, but before they knew it, the sky had cleared up.

It was as if the drivers' feelings of slight uncertainty had been wiped away as the day passed, to be quickly replaced with a sense that the Velotaxi had been brought here by fate.

To be continued.
(Written by Terunoshin Nishitsugu, Nishijima Local Coordinator)