New York tricycle matchmaker sees sparks flying between city singles

Forget the fire, hinge or bumblebee. Brushing your teeth has gone out – trampled for love.

Walker Ward is a 31-year-old front wall street-style comedian who once financed pink tricycles and a mission to help single New Yorkers find old-fashioned ways to love – by locking in the street with strangers.

“Since I quit the Rats and stayed with the company to work, I have more time during the day – I realize there are a lot of cool people walking by and going out,” a New Jersey native who has been living in the city for the past six years told The Post.

“I thought, ‘What if they knew each other? How would I set it up?'”

Enter “Hybrid Phone” which takes the proven speed dating concept and puts it on two wheels on the city streets near you.

Ward teamed up with TV Powerhouse behind the popular TLC show “90 Days of Fiancé,” which launched “Pedicab Connections” in June, which not only caused a sensation on social media, but also triggered real-life matches.

Faux rose lining the sides, plush pink interior and candy heart-shaped logo on the top asks: “Single?” – It’s hard to miss Mingle Mobile, which Ward also calls “single sled” or “desire chariot.”

“You might walk with the potential love in life, but everyone is busy and stuck to your phone. Why not put some bookmarks on someone’s day and help them meet in real life?” said the roaming romanticist, whose idea is to drive around the city and pair with a single Gotham.

The post recently took a two-wheeled love machine on a ride on a ride on a Nishimura freeride, where happy hourly crowds scattered on the sidewalk, the perfect playground for Ward to create his unique magic brand.

“I called the first single in the taxi the ‘Hero Rider’. We were just shopping on the streets of New York – I was a sales assistant and they were on the floor.”

That night, his first “hero rider” was Clare Thomas Allen, a 28-year-old social media manager from the Upper West Side, who jumped into a tricycle during the workout.

Allen, wearing her hair and “messy bread” in her workout gear, smiled and said “yes” to the journey, “that’s the bad date scene.”

“Half of life just comes up, and if I put myself there and say “yes” to more opportunities, then nothing goes wrong.”

Pedaling on busy Big Apple Street, Allen quickly became a potential Allen – Luke Natale, 32, content creator from Asbury Park, New Jersey.

After Natale was tagged and invited into the taxi, Ward began grilling his love life with Allen – “What are you looking for? Why are you still single? Do you feel the spark?”

“Half the ride, I’d ask, ‘How is the situation from a scale of 1 to 10?’ Then, I encourage them to say what they like each other so far,” Ward told us.

To cut any potential awkward moments, the ward whipped the frivolous icebreaker – from date text etiquette to what a potential partner wants, there is little paper questioning the rider.

At the end of the ride, Ward closed his eyes and flashed the paddles – green in “go” (swap numbers and make a real first date) or red in “stop” (never see each other again).

After ten minutes of the game, laughter and some flirting, Allen dated a game. Unfortunately for her, Natal didn’t feel it – so two ways.

But Ward hasn’t done it with Natale yet – soon rolling the bachelor into Justine Washington, 34, of Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

A spark of clarity – and a confession of shared love for Italian food.

Natale and Washington opened it up – “I can see we put some pasta after this,” the jersey boy quipped, both lifting the green side of the paddle after 10 minutes on the little tricycle.

Washington told The Post that the setup is refreshing. “I hate dating apps. I’m not on any apps. I’m not an active day,” she admitted.

“Dating wasn’t the first thing on my priority list, so the experience allowed me to continue on dates and it felt natural.”

Although Ward admits that so far, turnovers seem to be more frequent than hitting percentages, he does have enough evidence to prove that his approach works.

Last month, he proudly paired Chelsea’s 36-year-old actor director Brooklyn Bagwell with 34-year-old Fidi resident Joe Dacosta, who had been lined up for their third date.

“It’s so organic to meet Joe on a little tricycle,” Bagwell said in the Post.

After Ward discovered Dacosta, he and Bagwell were cruising on Ward’s steering wheel – what Dacosta called “a half-hour whirlwind.”

The two knocked it down, took Mingle phones to enjoy a drink, and finally supper.

Bagwell joked that the ward was “the perfect icebreaker.”

“I’ve lived in New York for over 15 years and the date is really bad,” she said.

“I’ve never met a guy in the dating app that I had a second date. Dating Joe’s tricycle is better than any date I’ve ever been to from the app.”

Dacosta smiled and stressed: “Even in a date show on a tricycle, there is a chance to be better, and even in a date show on a tricycle, it is always better.”

He admits that meeting women outside the app is like a lost art for people in their 30s.

Due to that accidental summer spin, Bagwell and Dacosta already had a dinner date and cocktail date, and once Bagwell returned from a trip to Greece, it lined up one-third.