Segway picks up speed in the Middle East.

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25 Jun 2008

Segway® Personal Transporters (PTs) are increasingly visible in the Middle East, filling a niche that no other mode of transportation can. Over the past six months, Segway has expanded its operation from Dubai and opened dealerships in Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Amman, Cairo and Morocco. This week alone, another three stores were announced in Egypt.

As Middle Eastern cities are growing at a phenomenal pace, normal modes of transport often cannot cope. In highly congested towns such as Dubai and Cairo people are looking for innovative ways to beat the traffic. The self-balancing Segway PT gives people better mobility, raising them eight inches or 20 centimetres above the surrounding crowd, while maintaining a footprint just slightly wider than a person. Because Segway PTs are self-balancing, even when standing still, they can move safely among passengers in crowded streets and travel at up to 12.5 mph/19 kph to a distance of 24 miles/38km, beating any traffic jam.

“Traditionally people relied on their cars to get from A to B, but the overwhelming traffic in our fast growing towns has created a demand for Segway Personal Transporters,” said Segway’s distributor for the Middle East, Steven Brown-Cestero. “Standard transport is failing, especially in today’s world where time is a commodity. While cars and buses are stuck in traffic jams, Segways glide past and parking is also no problem. I believe this is one of the reasons, we have already exceeded our 2007 numbers and it is only June,” commented Brown-Cestero.

With the exception of battery recharging, there is no regular maintenance required on the Segway PT, and battery recharging can be accomplished at any standard electrical outlet without removing the batteries from the unit. In an increasingly green, ecologically aware operating environment, the electrically-powered Segway PT generates no emissions during operation, with extremely low recharging costs — less than US$0.10 per day.