Passenger transportation
Books and taxes for pedicab companies.
Cash fares, card tips through a phone reader, driver splits, and city permits renewed every season. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
July came in at $7,500. Tourist season is in full swing, and I kept driver tips separate from the split each rider paid the company.
- Square card reader depositCard fares and tips
- Cash drop, weekend shiftsCash fares
- City pedicab permit renewalPermits and licensing
- Bike tire and brake partsBike maintenance
- Rider liability insuranceInsurance
Why your books are different
A pedicab company's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees cash and a few card swipes. Your business runs on riders who split fares with the company, tips that vary night to night, and city permits that renew on their own schedule. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell what a shift actually earned.
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1
Cash fares are easy to undercount
A busy Friday night downtown brings in a stack of cash from riders paying by the ride, and without a consistent way to log it before it gets spent on the next shift's float, real income can quietly go missing from the books.
What we doWorks from the bank statement and whatever cash log you send, and asks when a deposit pattern looks like nights are missing. -
2
Driver splits and tips blend into one number
A rider keeps the tip and splits the fare with the company, and if both amounts land in the bank on the same day without a clear split, it is hard to tell what the company actually earned from what belongs to the driver.
What we doKeeps the company's share of the fare and driver tips in separate lines, so the split is never in question. -
3
City permits get renewed but not tracked as their own cost
Pedicab permits are often required per bike and per rider, renewed on a city's own calendar, and when the fee lands in general expenses it is easy to lose track of what the permits actually cost the business each year.
What we doKeeps permit and licensing fees in their own category so the real cost of staying legal downtown is visible. -
4
A new bike looks like routine maintenance
A pedicab frame with electric assist can cost a few thousand dollars, and filed alongside tire and brake repairs, it blends into upkeep instead of showing up as a purchase that could be written off.
What we doFlags full bike purchases the month they show up and logs them as equipment so the accountant decides how they get written off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a pedicab company.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Cash faresRides paid in cash on the street, logged from what you send.
- Card fares and tipsRides and tips paid through a phone card reader, kept apart from cash.
- Event and tour bookingsPrivate events, weddings, and city tours booked ahead.
- Advertising wrapsFees paid by advertisers for bike or trailer wraps.
Money out
- Rider splitsThe share of each fare paid out to riders, kept apart from tips.
- Bike maintenanceTires, brakes, chains, and battery upkeep for electric-assist bikes.
- Permits and licensingCity pedicab permits, renewed per bike and per rider.
- InsuranceGeneral liability and rider coverage required to operate downtown.
- Card processing feesWhat Square or a similar reader keeps from each card fare.
- Storage and yard feesOvernight and off-season storage for the fleet.
What we watch for you
- Cash versus card mix
How much of a shift comes in cash versus card, so nothing quietly goes missing.
- Cost per bike
Maintenance and permit costs against what each bike brings in.
- Rider split share
What riders keep against what the company keeps, so pay stays fair and predictable.
- The set-aside
What you owe from cash and card fares both, tracked every month of the season.
Ask Gus
Things pedicab owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Send what you have, even a rough count. I work from the bank deposits and your log together, and I ask if a weekend looks like nights are missing.
I keep the company split and rider tips in separate lines from the start, so neither one gets mistaken for the other.
No, I logged it as equipment. It is not a motor vehicle, so it does not depreciate the way a van would, but it can usually still be written off. The accountant makes the final call.
The tax side
The tax side of a pedicab business.
Most of what goes wrong here is cash that is easy to undercount and a company split that gets confused with tips. A pedicab is not a motor vehicle, so the usual vehicle rules mostly do not apply.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Bikes and equipment write-offsA pedicab or electric-assist bike bought for the business usually counts as equipment, not a motor vehicle, and can often be written off, though the standard vehicle depreciation rules do not apply the same way.
- Rider classificationA rider who works your assigned shifts and uses your bike is usually an employee, not a contractor, even when paid mostly in cash tips and a split.
- Self-employment tax for owner-ridersAn owner who also pedals shifts pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on the profit from riding, on top of income tax.
- Cash income is still reported incomeAll cash fares and tips are taxable whether or not a card reader or app ever generates a record of them.
Deductions pedicab companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Bike tires and brakes
- City pedicab permits
- General liability insurance
- Card reader fees
- Bike storage fees
- Reflective safety gear
- Battery replacement
- Rain covers and canopies
- Bike locks and security
- Phone for dispatch
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A pedicab year, kept every month.
Tourist season brings the bulk of the year's rides, and your team stays on the books through the busy nights and the slow ones. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Renew permits early
Last year's return gets started, permit renewals for the season are on the radar, and a monthly set-aside gets planned before tourist season ramps up.
- April
Filed before the rides pick up
Your return is filed and signed just as spring evening rides start picking up, with no surprise bill because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Peak season tally
A look at how peak tourist season is performing, what you will owe, and whether the cash and card mix has shifted.
- October
Before the slowdown
Cooler weather means fewer riders out on foot. Gus looks at any bike you might add before next season and anything worth doing before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for pedicab companies. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions pedicab owners ask first.
Most of my income is cash. Can Gus still keep the books straight?
Yes. Send the bank deposits and whatever cash log you keep, and Gus works from both, asking if a night looks like it is missing.
Does a pedicab depreciate like a car or van would?
No. It is not a motor vehicle, so the usual vehicle depreciation rules do not apply, but it usually still counts as equipment that can be written off.
My riders keep their own tips and split the fare with me. How does that get tracked?
Gus keeps the company's split and rider tips in separate lines from the start, so what belongs to the business and what belongs to the rider is never in question.
Do my riders need to be on payroll?
Usually, if they work your assigned shifts on your bike. Gus flags riders who look like employees and the accountant sorts out what it means for you.
City permit fees seem to change every season. Does Gus track those?
Yes. Permit and licensing fees get their own category, so you can see exactly what it costs to keep every bike legal downtown.
My books have not been kept since last season. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send what you have, even if it is rough. Gus sorts it, the accountant checks it, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in passenger transportation
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Airport shuttle services
- Charter bus companies
- Private jet charter brokers
- School bus contractors
- Senior & wheelchair transportation
- Water taxis & ferries
- Wine tour & brewery tour shuttles
- Limousine & black car services
- Non-emergency medical transport (NEMT)
- Box truck businesses
- Car haulers
- Cold storage warehouses
- Customs brokers
- Expedited freight (sprinter vans)
- Final-mile delivery companies
- Freight forwarders
- Furniture delivery & white glove delivery
- Heavy haul & oversize transport
- Hot shot trucking
- Livestock haulers
- Local courier services
- Medical courier services
- Aerial applicators & crop dusters
- Aircraft detailing
- Aircraft maintenance shops (MRO)
- Aircraft sales brokers
- Boat detailing & bottom cleaning
- Boat repair & marine mechanics
- Boat shrink wrapping services
- Boat transport companies
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever