ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — Royal Oak is turning parking pains into a party, with the help of a college student/entrepreneur.
The city is celebrating the opening of two new parking garages by sponsoring free rides around town on Skoop electric assist pedi cabs.
Josh Cooper started Skoop in East Lansing while attending college there, offering free rides to students across campus and safe rides home on busy weekend nights.
Its free to riders because advertisers pay to have their business on monitors inside and outside the pedi cab.
The city of Royal Oak heard about Skoop through Cooper's mentor and business partner, who owns Toyology Toys, and decided to sponsor free rides for the month of June as a fun way to encourage use of the new parking structures.
Skoop pedi cabs will follow a route including city parking structures to pick up anyone who wants a ride and will take them where they need to go. For the month of June they are out offering free rides Thursday - Saturday evening, as well as lunch time Saturdays and Sundays.
Cooper says seeing his business expand and grow before he even graduates college, is a dream come true.
