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Onward and Upward Ryan Seidlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rebel Pedal pedicab company tackles the rolling hills of Oxford, MS Interview and photography by CASEY HILDER

Click magazine | May 2014 13

up front

t just 20 years old, Ole Miss sophomore Ryan Seidl is probably Oxford’s

youngest business owner. However, a few years as a business management major and a notion to cut down on motor vehicle traffic prove that there’s nothing green about Seidl except his goals. This past March, the Illinois native started Rebel Pedal, a full-service pedicab company and the first of its kind in the city.

Click Magazine: Where did this idea

CM: How do the rolling hills of Oxford

CM: Is Rebel Pedal a taxi service or pri-

come from?

treat your drivers?

marily a sightseeing vehicle?

Ryan Seidl: I came up with the idea

RS: There’s ways around it for nearly ev-

RS: Right now, it’s mainly for sightsee-

freshman year. My brother goes to the

ery route in Oxford if you know the lay

ing, a tourist-type thing. There are a few

Citadel, a military college in South Car-

of the land like we do. Of course, we like

eco-friendly electric motor options that

olina. It’s a very big and lively city and

to give our customers a choice between

I’m looking into to improve the bikes

they all use this awesome pedicab sys-

the long route, short route or whatever.

and make it a little easier on riders go-

tem to get around. It’s like the biggest

Sometimes the shortest route isn’t the

ing up hills. That will allow it to be more

niche in the city, and I always rode them

easiest and vice-versa.

of a taxi service. But the most important

with my family. I always thought they were the most fun things ever and wondered “Why doesn’t Oxford have these?” And after thinking for a while, I figured

CM: What was it like getting established once you had an idea? RS: I talked about the idea with friends

part is providing an eco-friendly option because that’s the whole point of the pedicab system.

for about three months. I took out mon-

CM: What’s the typical route look like?

ey from my savings to order the bikes,

RS: We definitely pass by all the main

and I hired a lawyer, Jonathan Masters.

spots in Oxord. Right now, we’re work-

here. Ten bucks a head? That’s crazy.

We worked alongside the city to present

ing on a few different routes for historic

the first ordinance to allow this system

and touring purposes. Eventually, our

CM: What brought you to Oxford?

and ended up presenting to the mayor

bikers will really know the history and

RS: I was originally into wrestling in

and the city council three separate

be able to offer a little bit of tour guid-

high school and had a scholarship in

times.

ance to customers who have never been

it’s probably because of the hills. I figured it would be a good idea anyways because it still beats the taxis around

line up north. Unfortunately, I dislocated my knee, and it just wasn’t safe to keep going. So I changed my goals up, applied to 15 different schools and was accepted to 14. I visited 10 of them, and I fell in love with Ole Miss as soon as my feet hit the ground.

14 may 2014 | Click magazine

CM: Have you encountered any resis-

here before.

tance from the city?

CM: What about the length and cost of

RS: At first they seemed a little scared of

a typical tour?

the idea, but we were eventually able to

RS: They both vary. We have long

bring them onboard.

routes and short routes. It’s really discretionary toward the bikers. We set

our own prices for distance traveled, but it usually ends up around $3 or $4 bucks per ride. CM: Is Rebel Pedal affiliated with Ole Miss? RS: Right now, it’s not. I’m a member of the University’s careers club, but we have no formal affiliation. CM: How many drivers do you have on the current staff? RS: I have about nine guys constantly moving around the Square, seven days a week. I’d like to have around 15-20, so my guys can choose when they’d like to go out. Most of them are students and the ones that aren’t usually cover nights.

Choose your own adventures!

CM: How do you keep up with repairs and maintenance?

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RS: I work out of my house, so it gets tricky. Right now we have a grad student who does repairs for us on the side, he’s an engineering major, so it actually plays into his coursework a little bit.

DAY C A M P

CM: What have been some of the biggest challenges of the past few months? RS: I definitely underestimated the hills and how much manpower that would take. The hardest one is definitely Martin Luther King Drive to the Square, but it’s a breeze once you make it up that one. The other tough part is finding drivers who can work the schedule.

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Click magazine | May 2014 15

up front

CM: What would you say is the best part of working for Rebel Pedal? RS: You don’t have to get out there and bug people to gain customers. Basically, our drivers can just park somewhere and hang back. The customers will come. CM: Do you have any plans to expand upon current operations? RS: We plan on increasing by two bikes a semester, but we’ll probably level out at around 14 before it becomes too much. We’ve got a guy who is

pitched it,

also working to install speakers on

and they pretty much asked “Are you

each cab, too, which should be fun for

crazy?” So I called again, they sent me

couples.

to at least three different people and

CM: Any new developments? RS: We recently gained a Bud Light

one guy down the line eventually said “I love it!”

sponsorship. It took a little consistency.

CM: Where do you see Rebel Pedal in a

I called their distribution company,

few years?

16 may 2014 | Click magazine

RS: After graduation in 2016, the plan is to have college students each year take over operations after I’m gone. I love this place and would definitely like to keep things going down here, it would be a nice thing to constantly have.