We often harp on about how convenient scooters are, how much cheaper they are that motor cars, how parking is a breeze and traffic just an ensemble of 7 letters with no practical meaning for scooter riders.
These are of course the most immediate and obvious attractions for scooter riders. There is however another angle which admittedly we don't mention, or mention enough, probably because it's not a quick sell or doesn't satisfy our need for instant gratification most immediately realized through our wallets. Scooters are a decent step in the direction of lowering your carbon emissions and reducing your impact on the environment.
Scooters have significantly smaller engines than cars and generally smaller engines then larger motorbikes. Typically scooters found in Cape Town have engine sizes of either 125cc or 150cc, there are slightly smaller engines and a few larger engines, but these are by far the most prevalent engine capacities. In many cases this is about a tenth of the size of a small, economical car. By size alone these engines use less fuel and emit less damaging gases into the atmosphere.
On a smaller scale, scooters require less material to assemble, their chassis are tiny in comparison to cars and their wheels number two, not four, and are of a smaller diameter, requiring less rubber.
Scooters ease congestion, meaning greater opportunity for traffic to free flow. Free flowing traffic uses less fuel than stop start, congested traffic. They take up less tarmac, reducing the need for multi-lane roads and require a fraction of the space to park, reducing the need for multi-story parking lots.
Scooter travel in Cape Town is on the increase, and although the majority of rider's motives might not elect this mode of transport because they want to sit in the going green space, they are subconsciously reducing their carbon footprint while saving themselves money. Win. Win!
Ryan Hosie is the owner of Zest Bikes in Cape Town South Africa. He is passionate about the environment and does his best to import and sell the most environmentally friendly scooters around. There are even talks of introducing electric scooters in Cape Town which will go even further in the fight against climate change.
