Walker Ward, a 31-year-old former finance worker turned comedian, has been pedaling a hot-pink pedicab through Manhattan offering impromptu, 10-minute dates to singles on the street — a concept he calls the “Mingle Mobile” and which he launched as a series called Pedicab Connections in June in partnership with Sharp Entertainment.
Decked out with faux roses, plush pink upholstery and a heart-shaped sign reading “Single?,” the mobile matchmaker’s contraption aims to replace swiping with face-to-face encounters. Ward said the idea grew out of a desire to use his newfound daytime hours after leaving a corporate job to introduce people who are already out and about in the city.
Ward, who has lived in New York for six years and described himself to The Post as tired of the “rat race,” calls the first person who accepts a ride the “hero rider.” From the back of the pedicab he seeks out a compatible match on the sidewalk, pulls that person in for a brief ride, and uses playful prompts to break the ice.
Riders are asked a sequence of questions and given small slips with flirty conversation prompts ranging from text etiquette to desired partner traits. At the end of roughly 10 minutes, participants close their eyes and flash a paddle — green for “Go” if they want to exchange numbers, red for “Stop” if they do not.
Clare Thomas Allen, a 28-year-old social media manager from the Upper West Side, accepted a ride while on her way to a workout and became Ward’s “hero rider” during a recent West Village run. Ward flagged down Luke Natale, a 32-year-old content creator from Asbury Park, N.J., and the two spent a short circuit of streets answering Ward’s questions and trying icebreakers.
Allen told The Post she agreed to the ride because she was frustrated with dating apps and wanted to say yes to more opportunities. After their pedicab session, she held up a green paddle; Natale did not. Ward then steered Natale into the path of Justine Washington, a 34-year-old concierge from Fort Greene, Brooklyn, and that pairing produced more immediate chemistry.
Natale and Washington rode together, traded jokes about going for pasta and both flashed green paddles at the end of the 10-minute ride. Washington described the experience as refreshing and natural, saying she is not active on dating apps and appreciated being able to meet someone without the usual digital steps.
Ward said misses are common but that successful matches — and the publicity from short-form videos of the rides — have kept demand high. He pointed to one early success in Chelsea, where casting director Brooklyn Bagwell, 36, was matched with 34-year-old Joe DaCosta, a FiDi-based tech worker. The pair had a whirlwind pedicab ride followed by drinks and dinner, and have since gone on two more dates with a third planned.
Bagwell described meeting DaCosta in the pedicab as “organic” and said the experience felt better than dates she has had through apps. DaCosta said meeting someone outside of apps felt like a lost art in his mid-30s and praised the format for producing a natural conversation quickly.
Ward said he has partnered with Sharp Entertainment — the production company behind reality series such as 90 Day Fiancé — to expand the Pedicab Connections concept and that he plans to run more rides as the weather cools and fall foliage provides a different backdrop.
The pedicab’s vivid appearance often draws attention from passersby, Ward said, and many people scream or point when they see it. He also offered a simple tip for New Yorkers trying to meet people: approach with confidence and be respectful. Ward, who said he has been in a relationship for four years, added that showing up and saying yes to opportunities can make the difference between meeting someone and missing a moment.
Ward’s mobile matchmaking is part performance, part social experiment and part matchmaking service. It has attracted viral attention online while occasionally turning strangers into couples on the sidewalks of Manhattan, underscoring how some New Yorkers are seeking alternatives to algorithm-driven dating apps in favor of in-person encounters.