A Letterkenny man has opted for pedal power rather than forking out multiple taxi fares on a daily basis. Fed up with paying fares eccentric Jim Byrne decided to purchase a 'set of wheels' with a difference!

Jim has bought a pedal go kart and now uses it to take him to local shops and regular hospital appointment s.

A former customs official and from Co Clare, he is residing at the Organisation of National Ex Service Men and Women's home at Beechwood Park in Letterkenny. He has a clot in his leg and is currently on crutches. A recent accident also left him with a broken arm.

He had to get taxis to take him to and from locals shops and his regular appointments to the hospital but soon felt the costs growing and opted to look for a more cost effective way of getting about.

FORTUNE

"I felt I was being ripped off with ¤5 euro a time taxi fare to take me to a shop 200 yards down the road or to the hospital which is also only a few hundred yards away so I decided to do something about it. The fares were costing me a fortune," Jim said this week.

"I bought a pedal go kart for ¤150 from a man in Ballintra. He delivered to me here in Letterkenny which is a round trip of 70 miles and didn't charge me a penny. There are some decent people in the country," Jim quipped.

As well as using the kart for his trips around the town Jim also does some physical exercise with it

"I can put it up on a height here at the back of the home and exercise which is good for the leg.

"When I 'm out on the road all I need is a helmet. I can also strap a shopping bag to the rear of the seat. I have no trouble going down the town but getting up the hills again can be troublesome," he said.