BAY CITY, MI -- Business is booming in the Sunrise Pedal Trolley's first season, but owner Ashley Anderson gets the same question from every group that rides through Bay City: Can we drink alcohol while pedaling on your Dutch-built, 15-person bicycle?

Today, the answer is no.

But a piece of pending legislation in Lansing awaiting Gov. Rick Snyder's signature could change that. The two-bill package introduced by the Michigan Senate would allow patrons to bring their own adult beverages as long as the pedal pub business carries liability insurance. The State House approved the bills Thursday, June 18, sending them to Snyder's desk.

"They see the barrel on the front of the bike and ask if they can drink," Anderson said. "I have to keep telling them no. If this passes, I'd love to tell people to start bringing their own beer onboard."

The bills don't allow operators to sell alcoholic beverages onboard and prohibit operators from drinking while on the job. Despite Anderson's bike having a barrel for a keg attached to the front of her bike, she wouldn't allow patrons to bring a keg, because she couldn't legally serve it under the legislation, similar to laws that allow parties to consume alcohol on a limousine or motor-coach.

"This is another way for people to enjoy Pure Michigan," said state Sen. Wayne Schmidt, R-Traverse City, a sponsor of the legislation. "These type of Pedal Pub businesses continue to pop up across our state, and it's great that communities are embracing them. This is another piece in our tourism puzzle."

Schmidt, who expects Snyder to sign the bipartisan bills, said legislators worked with police chiefs and sheriffs in crafting the bills' language to ensure safety is a top priority. Under the legislation, once the beer or wine is on the bike, it must stay there. If a patron takes a beverage to drink off the bike, he or she could be cited for having an open alcohol container.

While the bills allow residents to drink on the pedal pub, it doesn't necessarily mean patrons would be consuming more alcohol, said Kevin Farron, owner of TC Cycle Pub in Traverse City. Now in his third season, the 29-year-old Farron worked with Schmidt to design the legislation to prevent patrons from becoming out-of-control drunk.

Over the past two seasons, his team has seen patrons drinking beers in bars and breweries too quickly and then jumping back on the cycle. When they arrive at the next location, they might pound a beer to ensure they finish what they paid for before the group's two-hour ride is up.

"We're business owners and have a lot liabilities -- that's why we limit our rides to two hours," he said. "We don't want people getting out of control, but it is happening, even with us doing a good job of monitoring the group. Sometimes it's worse and people are taking shots. That's not the environment we want to promote."

Farron said once the legislation is approved, groups could go into a brewery, purchase a growler and split it among a few people on the bike and enjoy a craft brew at a leisurely pace before heading to the next place and refilling the growler.

"That's a much more level-headed way of operating this kind of business," he said.

From a tourism aspect, allowing patrons to drink onboard would also let them see more of what a city has to offer, said Farron, instead of stopping at two or three spots in the two-hour time limit.

Anderson, whose Sunrise Pedal Trolley is booked every Friday and Saturday through mid-September, said when legislation is approved, she doesn't want her business to become all about drinking (her business' tagline is "Exercise your right to drink"). If anyone is under 21 years old on the bike, no alcohol can be consumed.

"This business is great for families, and we don't want to change that," she said. "This is going to be an added bonus that will give our business a boost."

If Snyder signs the bills, the Bay City Commission would need to pass a resolution granting the Sunrise Pedal Trolley to operate as a business where patrons can bring their own beer or wine.

Commissioner Lynn Stamiris, 1st Ward, who represents downtown Bay City, said he would be in favor of it, but is concerned about the seats on the bicycle not having backs for extra security.

"Anytime people are drinking, you have to be concerned about their own safety and the safety of others," he said.

The City Commission last year approved routes for the pedal trolley, primarily restricting it to downtown Bay City streets. It's not allowed on busier streets like Center Avenue.

Pedal pub businesses are all across Michigan. In addition to Traverse City and Bay City, there are also bikes in Grand Rapids and Marquette.

On Friday, June 19, a group of ladies all celebrating their 60th birthday took the Sunrise Pedal Trolley around downtown Bay City. Anderson said her business is swamped with a variety of groups interested in taking a two-hour ride.

"I might have to start looking at buying a second bike," she said.