Rickshaw at Arlington Hts. train station belongs to Hi Guy

Frequent visitors to the downtown Arlington Heights Metra station have noticed a strange bike locked on one of the racks every night — a colorful rickshaw with a seat for two in the front, and a bit of rust built up.

One of the Daily Herald’s Facebook friends wrote us to ask what it’s doing there, and said it hasn’t moved in years.

A call to the Arlington Heights Police Department got us the answer. The rickshaw does have an owner — the mysterious “Hi Guy.”

Hi Guy lives in Arlington Heights, but takes the rickshaw around the suburbs and into Chicago to brighten the days of strangers by saying “hello” to everyone he meets, says Capt. Richard Niedrich. And no, he doesn’t give rides.

Niedrich said if the bike were abandoned it would have been removed, but that the Hi Guy takes it out and rides it from time to time.

Hi Guy, also know as Tom Matti, doesn’t often give interviews and couldn’t be reached on Thursday. According to his website, he has run more than 100 marathons, most of them in sandals.

If you see him running or riding through town, don’t forget to say “hi.” But don’t expect a ride.