Local Folks Turn To Scooters To Ease Pain At The Pump

By Timothy Cama
Bristol Herald Courier

When Traci Mitchell bought her Volkswagen Passat in 2002, its 25-mile-per-gallon fuel-efficiency rating was considered pretty good.

But with regular gasoline now creeping toward $4 per gallon, it costs Mitchell $55 to fill her tank, which doesn’t get her through a week of commuting to Bristol every day from her Abingdon home.

Last month, Mitchell bought a motor scooter from Atlas Honda Yamaha on Lee Highway in Bristol, Va. She considered buying a motorcycle, but realized that by the time she got a motorcycle license, insurance, a registration and gas, it wouldn’t save her much money.

“It seemed like the easiest thing to do,” Mitchell said of her scooter purchase.

She rides the vehicle to work about three days per week, at a cost of about $3 per day.

Mitchell’s purchase is part of a trend that started almost two months ago, Dwayne Leonard, manager of Atlas, said. Sales of scooters at his store have doubled during the same period last year, mostly because of commuters who are tired of paying so much at the pumps.

Atlas sells about one scooter each day, Leonard said.

CAPS Cycles on Bluff City Highway in Bristol, Tenn., sold its remaining scooter last week.

“I’m all out,” said owner Bill Chapman. “You call the distributors and they never call back.”

Chapman’s store has also doubled its scooter sales recently, but the numbers don’t mean anything if he can’t get more scooters to sell.

“People come in and I have to turn them away,” he said.

The trend isn’t just local, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council.

Across the nation, the group says scooter sales in the first quarter of this year are up by about 25 percent over the same period last year. And high gas prices are driving the sales, according the council.

The smallest scooters Leonard sells have 50 cc engines and are rated at 123 miles per gallon. In reality, Leonard says, they get closer to 80 or 90 miles to the gallon. These models sell for $2,499, and usually travel up to 35 miles per hour.

“The first question everybody asks when they want to buy a scooter: what kind of fuel mileage can I get?”

“It’s just smart money,” said Leonard.

Some drivers trade their cars for hybrid vehicles, he explained, but they end up losing so much money on the trade that it isn’t worth it. Scooters, on the other hand, are much cheaper than new cars, and have better fuel efficiency than most. Scooter owners usually don’t get rid of their cars, he added.

“I’ll admit it. I bought a scooter,” Leonard said. He uses it on his six-mile commute to work and spends far less money on gas than he did when driving his truck.

As engine sizes increase on larger models, fuel efficiency goes down. But the larger ones also drive faster, Leonard said.

Larger models may also be more difficult for some people to own, said Leonard. Small scooters are classified as mopeds under Virginia law, so riders aren’t required to follow motorcycle laws.

Under Virginia law, two-wheeled vehicles with engine sizes less than 50 cc and seats less than 24 inches high do not have to be registered or insured. No license of any kind is required to operate one, but the driver must be at least 16 years old and cannot ride on interstates.

Drivers are not legally required to wear a helmet, but Leonard “strongly recommends” one. Both he and Mitchell wear full-face motorcycle helmets.

In Tennessee, scooters less than 50 cc and under two horsepower cannot exceed 30 mph. Drivers must be licensed, at least 14 years of age and all riders must wear a helmet.

Like in Virginia, scooters cannot be driven on interstates in Tennessee.

Registration is “voluntary,” according to Tennessee law, and insurance is not required.

As always, though, scooters can be fun, said Leonard.

“Just put it in the back of your car, take it to the beach for the weekend,” he said.

Mitchell also uses hers for fun. She takes trips that she might not have taken in her car, in addition to the usual commuting, errands and visits to friends and family.

TIMOTHY CAMA is an intern with the Herald Courier and can be reached at tcama@bristolnews.com or (276) 645-2568.