Tuesday, 1 p.m. The senior afternoon at the Dachau folk festival is in full swing and has attracted many visitors. Frank Ehrhardt-Gudra is also there – he’s not a senior yet, but he doesn’t want to reveal his age, as he emphasizes and smiles. The Dachauer stands at the entrance to the festival, next to him his special vehicle: a bright red rickshaw with two seats and a black roof. She is the reason why he is at the folk festival today, because Frank Ehrhardt-Gudra is taking on a very special task.
As is tradition at the senior afternoon, birthday wishes will be distributed again this year. Ehrhardt-Gudra drove the two bearers of the birthday cards, Maximilian, 10, and Frederike, 9, to the marquee and picked them up later. The two children are members of the D’Ampertaler Dachau costume association, just like Ehrhardt-Gudra himself. That’s why – despite the summer heat – he wears the Ampertaler costume: a black hat, a black waistcoat and long trousers.
As a rickshaw driver, he wears traditional costume
Frank Ehrhardt-Gudra has been driving a rickshaw since he was 18 years old. He started with it in Berlin – simply because he liked it, he says. In 2015 he registered his rickshaw rides as a side business. The district office employee never wanted to drive a rickshaw full-time, he always wanted to have fun, as he emphasizes. He basically wears Bavarian costumes – but it doesn’t necessarily have to be the warm Ampertaler costume. Normal leather trousers and a traditional shirt are usually sufficient.
The rickshaw chauffeur not only drives little guests, but also offers his rides to everyone else. The service is particularly well received at the Dachau folk festival, here it sometimes runs up to 20 tours a day, with guests of all ages. Even District Administrator Stefan Löwl was there.
Ehrhardt-Gudra is also happy to take less prominent guests with him, as long as they show genuine interest in his special means of transport. However, if you only want to get from A to B, you are not allowed to get on. After all, he was also allowed to resign as a rickshaw driver: “I’m not dependent on it,” as he emphasizes. In addition, his rickshaw is not just a simple means of transport. It’s also about the experience itself.
Particularly drunk visitors to the folk festival are not allowed to board it
Those who are also not allowed to sit in the rickshaw are particularly drunk folk festival visitors, “because of the insurance”. But he’s not too strict: if you get a little tipsy, you can still enjoy a ride in the rickshaw. His guests are sometimes very open with their stories, as Ehrhardt-Gudra reveals with a grin, but he doesn’t want to reveal anything. Apparently the professional secrecy of the rickshaw drivers applies.
Even away from the folk festivals in the area, he runs his tours all year round. Mostly on the weekends, or whatever else suits him, he does city tours, weddings or bachelor parties. Many have also discovered the Räuber-Kneißl cycle path by rickshaw instead of by bicycle. Short journeys of less than ten minutes only cost the passenger five euros, a price that many consider worth for such a special journey. In addition, the guests are allowed to express music requests and can be driven through the city with musical accompaniment.
Maximilian and Frederike also enjoy driving a rickshaw. After their performance, they can get back into the rickshaw to bring congratulations and let the folk festival drive them.
Anyone who feels like such a ride can contact Frank Ehrhardt-Gudra via his Facebook profile “rikscha_express_dachau” Contact us – just “get in, ride and enjoy”, as it says there.