People Turn to Scooters to Fight Gas Prices

By: Chris Pollone/NBC 13 | Alabama's13.com
Published: June 11, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-- For the past two months, Jeff Worrell of Birmingham has spent a little more than a dollar a week on gas.

Jealous?

More and more, Worrell is leaving his Mazda Miata parked, and riding his new motor scooter instead.

“It's great,” Worrell said while putting on his helmet. “It's like 84 miles to the gallon and its $3 and ninety something cents to fill it up.”

Worrell is not alone.

A trade group says scooter sales in the United States are up 24% this year.

Pelham scooter dealer, Mark Martincic, says his sales are up more than 300% in the past 6 months.

“People come looking for motor scooters,” Martincic said. “It's not an afterthought. They're seeking them out. They hear about the gas mileage. They're tired of paying high prices and they're looking for scooters.”

And it's not just men buying them.

“We sell a lot to housewives; we sell them to retired people. We sell them to men who have shorter commutes back and forth to work,” Martincic explained.

All it takes is the scooter, a helmet and the proper license and registration.

Scooters run anywhere from $800 to several thousand dollars.

“The insurance is less, the price is less and the gas is a lot less. The maintenance is less. It's an economical way to get around,” Martincic said.

Jeff Worrell certainly thinks so.

And as gas prices continue to rise, many more converts might be won soon.

Of course, there are some drawbacks to scooters:

You’re not going to do your weekly grocery shopping on one.

And injuries on scooters and motorcycles have steadily risen in the past 10 years, though most happen on bigger motorcycles.

People Turn to Scooters to Fight Gas Prices

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