CARRBORO -- Twice a week, Niles Barnes bounds up and down the steps of Kenan Stadium, sometimes hopping on one leg. Barnes doesn't quit until he's lapped the whole football field.
He and four others are building up their muscles and stamina to haul folks in Chapel Hill and Carrboro in pedicabs, bicycle taxis found mostly in Western tourist hotspots and Asian countries.
"Fitness will be a requirement," said Dennis Markatos-Soriano. "If two sumo wrestlers come up to us, we'll do our best to serve them."
The service is run by Greenway Pedicabs, a company formed by local investors and members of SURGE, a student-led environmental and social justice network headquartered at UNC.
Greenway's first cab, a two-seater with a white frame, black cushioned seats, a black canopy and a black bike came in Wednesday and may carry riders this weekend.
A Carolina blue cab that seats three adult passengers will arrive in July.
"We know the people of Chapel Hill and Carrboro like quality, so that's what we went for," said Markatos-Soriano, Greenway's manager and SURGE's executive director. "These are really the nicest bikes around."
Riders can hail pedalers between the Carrboro Farmers' Market and the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. They can also make calls for pick-ups on those days.
Markatos-Soriano doesn't have a rate schedule yet, but estimates a trip from He's Not Here on West Franklin Street to Kenan Stadium would cost $4 to $5 per person, meaning a $9 to $10 tab for two riders.
Tar Heel Taxi, which bases its fares on zones, would charge $6 total for up to three people, with an additional $3 for each extra person.
Brion Stracensky, owner of Revolve Pedal Cab in Eugene, Ore., recommends the pedalers ask to be paid up front. A rider once ran off without paying after Stracensky pedaled him six miles.
Markatos-Soriano plans to pay $11 an hour. Tips are welcome, but pedalers won't be miffed if they don't get one. "We're all pretty laid back," he said.
Safety is a priority for the pedalers.
The cabs come with front and brake lights, and all pedalers get background checks and training. To avoid accidents, pedalers will veer to the side of the road or take side streets if they clog traffic.
They won't pedal in sleet or snow but may travel through light rain if the canopy covers riders' legs. In winter months, Greenway will keep riders warm with wool blankets.
The company expects to do its best business with tourists, fans going to Carolina games, students, couples and the bar crowd.
"It would be a good alternative to a cab if you had too much to drink," said Scott Williamson, a Durham resident who walks and drives in Chapel Hill.
For couples, Barnes said pedicab rides are romantic and perfect for weddings.
But Shannon Morrow of Durham said she wouldn't ride one to set the mood.
"It's not like it's a horse-drawn carriage," said Morrow, who works at Salon 135 in Chapel Hill and may ride a cab once for fun. "A guy pedaling or a girl pedaling furiously might take the romance out of it."
Pedicab companies have done well in college towns, said Ed Oliver, production manager at Main Street Pedicabs, which sold the cabs to Greenway for $9,000.
During a football weekend in Norman, Okla., Oliver had to stop giving rides after his hundredth trip because he was too tired to pedal any farther.
Three-fourths of any profits Greenway makes will go to the investors -- Barnes, Markatos-Soriano and Danny and Tim Toben of Chapel Hill. One-fourth is being earmarked for SURGE projects, such as Earth Action Fest, which raised $1,000 to help put energy-efficient appliances in Orange County schools.
More than money, Greenway's main goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by curbing the use of fossil fuels.
"We're talking miles per burrito instead of miles per gallon of gasoline," Markatos-Soriano said of the emissions-free cabs.
