Small Biz to Watch: E-Z Pedicabs expands routes with KC, World Cup visitors along for the ride

With an influx of visitors tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and a wave of downtown development reshaping how residents navigate the city, a young Kansas City pedicab company sees opportunity in the lane ahead.

Mark Manning, co-founder of E-Z Pedicabs, steers a pedicab around the Westside neighborhood, near the business’ shop and headquarters; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

“What we are changing is people’s way of thinking about transportation,” said Mark Manning, co-founder of E-Z Pedicabs, an electric-assisted pedicab service known for its eye-catching string lights and dangling knitted hearts. “You do have to go from A to B, but if you’re going, you might as well make it fun and memorable.”

Popular for shuttling passengers between restaurants, entertainment districts, and nightlife destinations, the appeal goes beyond convenience, emphasized co-founder Atticus Sloan, noting the company is growing its daytime and weekday ridership among everyday workers and tourists alike.

“We always wanted to focus on the experience of the bike ride,” said Sloan. “Incorporating the decorations, the music, the lights and becoming a unique option really stood out from an Uber or Lyft or other options out there.”

That experience is becoming increasingly relevant as Kansas City grows denser and more pedestrian-focused, he added.

E-Z Pedicabs driver Alexander Sloan slaps the hand of a passing pedestrian as the two greet each other in a busy bike lane along Southwest Boulevard during June’s First Friday festivities; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

With the KC Streetcar line and hotspots like the Country Club Plaza, historic 18th & Vine Jazz District, River Market and riverfront continuing to evolve, E-Z Pedicabs is positioning itself as what Sloan calls a “last-mile transportation option” — helping people bridge the gap between destinations too far to walk, but too close to justify waiting for a rideshare.

Atticus Sloan smiles while discussing the qualities his company looks for in drivers, as Mark Manning looks on; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

“Kansas City’s really cool. The metropolitan area is close, but spread out, and we realize that not everything is walkable,” said Sloan.

The business recently expanded operations to the Country Club Plaza after years of restrictions, a move the founders see as a major opportunity as Kansas City leans further into pedestrian-friendly development.

“A lot of people ask or comment and say, ‘Oh, the streetcar is expanding, it must be competition,’” said Manning. “Really, it’s the opposite. What we do is very complementary to the streetcar.”

As the city’s transit footprint deepens, Manning sees E-Z Pedicabs helping riders make shorter east-west connections between destinations that might otherwise feel inconvenient to reach.

“It might feel a little silly to get off at a streetcar stop and think, ‘I still need to get somewhere on Wyandotte Street, but it’s too far to walk and too close to call a car,’” he said. “That’s where we fit in.”

The timing of E-Z Pedicabs’ expansion could prove especially significant in 2026. While larger World Cup host cities often rely on sprawling transit systems, Kansas City’s transportation landscape looks different, and the founders believe that difference could become an advantage.

“It’s more bikes, more coverage and meeting a need that everybody can see is prevalent during the World Cup,” Manning said of the company’s plans for 2026.

“How are people going to get around in the interim?” he added, pointing to the time between matches and activities. “You can’t take a shuttle bus to every single place you want to go.”

The business prepared for increased demand by hiring drivers, coordinating routes and planning for nearly around-the-clock service as visitors descend on downtown and the FIFA Fan Festival near Liberty Memorial.

“With that influx of people comes a lot more traffic as well,” said Sloan. “The beauty of a pedicab is we can utilize the bike lanes, certain sidewalks, but we can also navigate traffic a lot easier, taking different side streets and arriving a lot quicker than most vehicles can.”

“We’re preparing to be a 24-hour service,” he added. “If we have somebody on call at all times, we’re prepared to give rides 24/7.”

Atticus Sloan navigates Southwest Boulevard on one of E-Z Pedicabs’ electric-assisted pedicab bikes; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

E-Z Pedicabs was not born from a grand transportation strategy. The idea started with a dog. Sloan, a lifelong cyclist who grew up navigating Kansas City by bike, originally began researching electric builds to help transport his dog.

“I had a Great Dane for 12 years, and as he aged and became a little less mobile, I realized I needed to build a wagon for him,” he said.

That search eventually led him to electric bikes and, later, pedicabs.

“I experienced pedicab rides at a music festival in the past,” Sloan said. “I thought it would be a cool opportunity to try to invest in both, and so that’s kind of how it came into fruition.”

“Seeing them was really believing,” added Manning. “A lot of people early on were like, ‘What the heck is a pedicab?’”

The founders originally imagined a festival-focused business. Instead, Kansas Citians embraced the service more broadly almost immediately.

“It really caught on, Day 1,” said Manning.

Riders were initially drawn by curiosity and the novelty of the service, he noted, but convenience and reliability quickly turned them into repeat customers.

Mark Manning and Atticus Sloan pedal onto stage at Union Station’s City Stage to pitch E-Z Pedicabs during the 2025 AltCap Your Biz competition; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

That momentum grew through neighborhood partnerships, visibility in the Crossroads Arts District and support from AltCap, a community development financial institution (CDFI) that hosts an annual pitch competition. (E-Z Pedicabs won the $35,000 grand prize in late 2025 after being named “Fan Favorite” in the competition in 2024.)

ICYMI: AltCap Your Biz cycles trio of winners from KC’s diverse hospitality scene

“Shout out to AltCap for really putting us on the map,” said Sloan, noting the company also gained traction by finding complimentary small businesses who pay to advertise on the pedicabs. “We try to boost the visibility, but also the value of the messages that businesses are projecting.”

Such partnerships feel natural because E-Z Pedicabs is already embedded in the same places its riders and their customers frequent: restaurants, murals, markets, concerts and small businesses.

E-Z Pedicabs co-founder Atticus Sloan, right, holds a blanket knitted by his mother, artist Emily Sloan, for passengers. The blanket, as well as a cover over the pedicab, reflects team colors for Mexico and Argentina ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Kansas City; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

The pedicabs themselves even carry a handmade touch. The knitted awnings and heart-shaped accents adorning many of the vehicles are crafted by Sloan’s mother, artist and photographer Emily Sloan, who is incorporating colors inspired by countries participating in the World Cup.

“She’s always been an artist,” said Sloan. “The artistic detail only enhances our ridership and experience.”

Those details matter because, for Sloan and Manning, E-Z Pedicabs is not just transportation, it is hospitality itself.

Mark Manning, co-founder of E-Z Pedicabs; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

The company’s drivers, Manning said, are hired to function somewhere between city ambassadors and concierges.

“We want to make sure everybody has a personality that fits,” he said.

That means offering recommendations, pointing out murals, sharing local history and helping visitors experience Kansas City from a perspective they might otherwise miss.

“We get to showcase all the cool parts of Kansas City that are usually passed by or forgotten,” Sloan said.

As Kansas City drives through what could be one of its most transformative years, the founders believe their growth will rise alongside the city’s — providing “smiles every mile,” said Sloan.

“We want people to go back home and think about Kansas City in a positive light,” Manning added. “I want them to say, ‘I had such a good time. I felt safe. I got around where I needed to be and saw some really neat stuff along the way.’”

Riders can call or text 816-226-8444 to book a ride or visit www.ezpedicabs.com