It is the best of times and the worst of times for Pushpak Motors, the fleet of eco-friendly, battery-powered, street-and-sidewalk legal tricycles owned by serial entrepreneur, former music executive and Sonoma resident Howard Sapper. Pushpak has established a solid place in the local tourism trade, winning Viator accolades as a top-ten North American beverage tour experience and funneling tens of thousands of tourists around Sonoma’s scenic and vineyard-flavored byways.
The most recent good news: Sapper’s micromobility business has two new venues on board for his Wine Country tours , with the recent addition of the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Hamilton Family Winery in Kenwood, where Pushpak offers a “Trike Tour and Tasting” experience in conjunction with a seated wine sampling at Hamilton, a charming new boutique winery just off Highway 12.
Meanwhile Howard is seeking Sonoma City permission for a license to use larger electric vehicles for history tours, ora 45-percent t general transport around Sonoma, reducing auto traffic congestion and reducing GHG emissions.
Sapper is a fervent environmentalist who believes there is a big future in small electric vehicles that reduce car congestion, air pollution and noise. And he provides his fleet to provide around town transportation for nonprofit events while injecting a big dose of deep local history in every tour.
So far so good.
But then there is the recent downside of the Pushpak business – a significant reduction in Sonoma Valley tourism which Howard lays at the feet of Trump backlash and the Trump tariffs.
“We typically get 20 to 30 percent of our business from Canadian and European tourists. This past year we had no customers from either, none, and that’s 100-percent because of Trump.”
And because Sapper assembles all his new scooters from parts imported from China, the Trump tariffs have also hammered his bottom line. “When you’re talking about $600 lithium batteries – which is all we use – the Trump tariff gets pretty expensive.” And all of which has convinced him that to weather the lean months of winter, he needs to find an additional revenue stream to keep Pushpak going until Spring.
That’s why Howard Sapper is now looking for people to support a GoFundMe crowdfunding page, with a unique incentive. Howard is essentially offering supporters free certificates for Pushpak tours, redeemable this Spring and Summer so he can continue operations, and keep employees employed through the winter.
Anyone interested in supporting Howard Sapper’s, battery-powered micromobility service can reach him at 707.343.1192 or 707.321.1405. Pushpak (which is the name of a mythical flying chariot in Hindu mythology) is online at pushpakmotors.net.
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