Foreigners on Segways a curious sight as they trundle down Orchard Road

Zip and zoom, they draw odd looks
Shree Ann Mathavan, The New Paper 27 Jul 09;

FIRST there are the stares, then out come the camera phones.

Slovenian Bojan Tercon, 36, is no celebrity - it is his mode of transport, a two-wheeled battery-powered Segway, that makes heads turn.

He uses it daily to run errands in town.

Mr Tercon, an artiste manager, is among a growing number of Segway users here, who are drawn to the two-wheeler because of its eco-friendly nature and ease of use.

The Segway, which starts at around $12,800 here, is self-balancing and has zero emissions.

It was first introduced in the US in 2001 and started selling here in 2003.

But two years ago, a different distributor, HT Advanced Mobility (HTAM) took over and collaborated with action superstar Jackie Chan, to form GoGreen Holdings.

The transporter consequently saw a sharp upswing in sales this year.

Mr Tom Navasero, managing director of GoGreen Holdings attributed the spike in interest to the setting up of a Segway rental service in Sentosa earlier this year by his company, which provides guided tours of the island on the transporter.

Jackie Chan was in town to help launch the service.

The Segway tours, he said, helped create more awareness of the transporter, which can travel distances of about 38km when fully charged.

The vehicle's battery needs to be charged for several hours, preferably overnight.

Mr Navasero declined to provide figures of the rise in demand, but said that around 300 Segways have been sold to both individuals and organisations since its launch here.

Currently the profile of his clientele in Singapore are working professionals - evenly split between expatriates and locals.

Nevertheless, seeing someone zip by using the Segway in town is still fairly rare.

Drawing attention

When The New Paper on Sunday caught up with Mr Tercon and his business partner, Mr Robin Lokerman, 46, who run an events company, the duo certainly attracted a fair bit of attention even early on a Thursday morning.

Gliding along the pavement in front of Ion Orchard, the duo, both already standing over 1.8m, literally dwarfed the milling pedestrians when perched on their respective Segways.

Said Mr Lokerman, a Dane: 'People ask us questions about it, they wave and I've even had taxi drivers giving me the thumbs-up sign.'

Seeing the duo navigate, turn, and circle effortlessly using their i2 models, one would think they've had the personal transporters for years.

But their models, each priced at $12,800, are both new acquisitions, which were delivered to them only last week.

Mr Lokerman had first found out about the personal transporter three months ago in Washington when he went on a Segway city tour with a relative.

He recalled: 'I found it so mobile and easy to use.'

Intrigued, he did some research online and found that Segways were available here.

But before taking the plunge, he and Mr Tercon first did a test drive at Segway hub on Sentosa. This was followed by a trial for four days to see if the Segway could fit in with their daily lives.

Mr Lokerman now uses his Segway every day during his daily commute from his apartment along Grange Road to his office in Bukit Timah, and back.

Cheaper in long run

This 4.5km journey typically takes him 20minutes, which is about the same as taking a cab in peak-hour traffic, he points out.

This saves him money, he said.

'It gets me from my apartment straight to my office desk thanks to good sidewalks and slopes along the way.'

However that isn't to say that navigating the Segway doesn't come with its own set of challenges.

While Segway users are allowed to trundle along on roads with certain speed limits in the US, the European Union, China and Korea, the machine is only allowed on public sidewalks, private roads and private compounds in Singapore, said Mr Navasero.

Hence, navigating narrow paths with plants, steep steps or curbs can be tricky, said the pair.

There are also Singaporeans like Ms Grace Ler, 29, an account manager, who remain skeptical of the Segway's viability in Singapore.

She said: 'I would think the Segway is a hazard for pedestrians in crowded areas like Orchard Road.

It took me just five minutes to enjoy the ride

MR ROBIN Lokerman, 46, the boss of an events company, gallantly offered me a 10-minute ride on his $12,800 i2 model.

Stepping gingerly on his Segway, I half expected to tip over and fall flat on my face, but the Segway holds steady, even though I'm not known for my poise or balance.

The great thing about the Segway is the intuitive way it reacts to your body.

There's no need for buttons, the personal transporter just reacts to your body.

Want to head left? Simply tilt the handlebar to the left; ditto if you want to turn right, go back or go forward.

Pretty soon, I was gliding freely and thinking that this must be what it's like if I had wheels instead of legs.

The good thing about the Segway is there is immediate gratification, without a need for lengthy how-to tutorials.

You get onboard, muck around for five minutes or so and you pretty much get to enjoy the ride immediately.

While I'm pretty sure I wasn't going at the i2's top speed of 20km per hour, I got my kicks all the same - whizzing by bemused pedestrians along the Orchard Road shopping belt.

So, contrary to concerns that it may be a hazard in urbanised areas, I think the Segway works in the hands of a responsible rider.

It's stable, eco-friendly, speedy, but not too crazy fast.

And if you don't like to stand...

IF you don't like the idea of standing on a Segway, keep your fingers crossed that the Puma (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility) makes it to the market soon.

The Puma is essentially a Segway with two seats and a roof.

The 136kg prototype runs on a lithium-ion battery and uses Segway's two-wheel balancing technology, along with dual electric motors.

It is designed to reach speeds of up to 56kmh and can cover 56km on a single charge.

Also, it will be linked to a vast communication network that allows vehicles to interact with each other, regulate the flow of traffic and prevent crashes.

The Puma, which is expected to be 75 per cent cheaper than the average car, is currently being developed by General Motors and Segway and is touted to be the solution to the world's urban transportation problems.

But some observers are not buying into the hype. InformationWeek writer Cora Nucci called the Puma 'bizarre', adding that 'the photos tell you all you need to know about this misbegotten vehicle.'