Using the services of EasyRider Pedicab Company, Alabama fans no longer have to fight through crowds on foot to get to the stadium for home football games.

The company offers rides from pedicabs, which are tricycles with traditional handlebars and pedals with the addition of a cab in the rear for passengers.

EasyRider Pedicab was founded in February 2011 by Hunter Adams, a student at The University of Alabama Law School. Adams said he started the business to provide students, residents and visitors in Tuscaloosa with a way to travel around town without having to get in their vehicles.

Adams said that even though Gameday is their busiest day of the week, EasyRider operates during the week from 10 p.m. to approximately 3 a.m. to give rides to those going to and from bars.

“We want to be seen as an asset to the community as well as to the University,” Adams said. “We prevent DUIs like you would not believe. We help those people that wouldn’t be able to walk to the stadium on their own.”

Adams said that the company also drives those just looking for a quick, fun ride.

“It’s a gift to the community and we’ve found that people really like the cabs,” he said.

Jake Appelbaum, a senior from Hoover, Ala., used EasyRider to get from his apartment to the Quad prior to Saturday’s home game against Florida Atlantic University. Appelbaum said that he did not experience any trouble getting around roadblocks.

“My experience was great because I really did not want to walk all the way to the Quad before the game,” Appelbaum said. “I ran in to a driver on the corner of Campus and Riverside Drive and got to bypass the crowd while sitting in the back of a bike cab.”

Despite the popularity and success of EasyRider, the company has hit some literal roadblocks while escorting clients to the stadium. The University of Alabama closes down streets surrounding the stadium to traffic at 5 p.m. on Friday nights before home games. Starting three hours prior to kick-off, primary roads such as University Blvd and Bryant Drive are closed to through traffic. Adams said that his drivers often aren’t allowed through the roadblocks even though they are on bikes.

“The University is working with us and allowing us to pass some roadblocks, but it is still a big problem for us because we are restricted from access to places we need to be,” Adams said. “I recently heard from the UA grounds crew, and they said they would let us through every roadblock except for the ones right around the stadium.”

Gina Johnson, the Associate Vice-President of Auxiliary Services, said that EasyRider Pedicabs are treated just like motorized taxis on Gamedays, allowing them access to only certain roads.

“On Gameday, taxis, including pedicabs, are able to operate on campus in areas where the roads are 35mph or less,” Johnson said. “Licensing for these services is through the City of Tuscaloosa. The Tuscaloosa Police Department is in charge of taxi services and this falls under that category of services.”