Atlantic Pedicabs implements Sherlock Taxi to power operations
pedal-powered
approach
Background
Atlantic Pedicabs was founded in 2016 by Omar Akel to provide pedal-powered transportation to communities in Long Branch and Deal, New Jersey. The business operates pedicabs – pedal-powered rickshaws – for local passengers.
Since the business’ initial launch, it has expanded to launch a service for tourists along the Ocean City Boardwalk in Maryland. This service provides a convenient and environmentally friendly way for tourists, families, couples and locals to travel along the Boardwalk, while remaining committed to Atlantic Pedicabs’ 100% pedal-powered approach.
As part of the expansion into a different market, Omar recognised the need to implement a technology solution to enable app-based bookings, cashless payments and modern dispatch to ensure efficient operational management.
“Working with Sherlock Taxi has genuinely been a pleasure. Before choosing a technology partner for our Ocean City project, we vetted roughly a dozen different software-as-a-service providers. One of the biggest challenges we consistently ran into was that most companies were extremely sales-heavy. It was difficult, and sometimes nearly impossible, to get access to engineers or developers who could actually answer our technical questions before we committed to moving forward. Sherlock was the complete opposite. Their team felt very tech-heavy and sales-light, which was immediately promising to me because it showed where they were putting their time, effort, and resources: into the product itself and into solving problems for their clients,”
Implementing Sherlock
Atlantic Pedicabs selected Sherlock Taxi to provide the booking, dispatch and operational technology needed to support the Ocean City Boardwalk experience. Passengers now request rides through the app, providing a quick and convenient way to book on-demand rides along the Boardwalk in Maryland.
Behind the scenes, Sherlock provides Atlantic Pedicabs with real-time visibility across its operation including pedicab locations and live ride statuses. This enables the team to understand where its vehicles are, monitor trips as they progress and coordinate the fleet during busy periods.
"Sherlock stood out to Omar because we could customise the technology around their specific operation — incorporating bike lanes and walking routes into Google routing, while giving them much greater visibility over their entire pedicab fleet,"
“What ultimately separated Sherlock from everyone else was their willingness and ability to solve a problem that no other provider we had spoken with—either during this project or in years prior—had been able to solve. Our operation required routing based on walking directions through Google Maps rather than traditional vehicle routing. This was a major requirement for us because of the unique way pedicabs operate on the Ocean City Boardwalk. As soon as Sherlock put together a legitimate plan to develop a solution around that problem, I knew we were dealing with the right people. They didn't try to force our operation into an existing mould; they took the time to understand what we were trying to build and figured out how to make the technology work for us,”
Supporting drivers
Pedicab drivers have their own flexible Sherlock driver app, providing a clear view of their work and greater transparency around the trips allocated to them.
Sherlock’s intelligent allocation technology helps Atlantic Pedicabs efficiently match available drivers with passenger demand. By reducing unnecessary downtime between trips and helping drivers spend more time completing rides, the technology supports both operational efficiency and driver earning potential.
The combination of real-time fleet visibility and intelligent dispatch also gives Atlantic Pedicabs greater control over its operation, while allowing drivers to focus on delivering a safe and enjoyable passenger experience.
Cashless service where drivers retain 100% of tips
Another major benefit of implementing Sherlock has been the ability to operate a fully cashless service. Integrated payments provide passengers with a simple and secure way to pay for their rides while removing the need for drivers to handle cash.
The integration also supports driver tipping, with tips kept separate and paid directly to the individual driver. This ensures drivers retain 100% of the tips intended for them.
Pedicabs powered by modern technology
The business uses Sherlock to keep what appears to be a simple service running smoothly, combining traditional pedal-powered transportation with the technology needed to operate a modern transport business.
As the business continues to grow, Sherlock provides the flexibility and operational infrastructure needed to manage increasing passenger demand while maintaining a reliable experience for both passengers and drivers.
In the coming months, Atlantic Pedicabs intends to migrate their original New Jersey operation to Sherlock which will allow the business to manage two operations that serve different markets within one technology platform.
“The result of choosing Sherlock was we were able to launch what we believe to be the first real-time, on-demand pedicab application in North America and create a fully functioning, municipally partnered micro-transit system in Ocean City, Maryland. That would not have happened without the Sherlock team.
We greatly appreciate Adam, Polina Sannikova, Anatoly Egorov, Anton Savenko, and everyone else at Sherlock who has worked with us throughout this process. One thing that has stood out even after launch is that their involvement didn't end once the software went live. Sherlock continues to reach out, check on the status of our operation, listen to our feedback, and help us improve the system as we grow.
Whether you're putting together a more traditional car service or taxi operation that fits an established model, or you're trying to solve complex technical problems that are completely unique to your niche, I can't recommend Sherlock enough. I'm extremely thankful for where their team has helped us get today, because what we accomplished in Ocean City simply would not have happened without them,”