The Segway Personal Transporter (Segway PT, originally called Segway Human Transporter or Segway HT) is a self-balancing two-wheeled electric vehicle invented by Dean Kamen. It was first introduced in 2001 and is produced by Segway Inc. of New Hampshire, USA. The current models of the Segway PT - the i2 line and its off-road companion the Segway x2 line - are finding acceptance with police forces, warehouse personnel, and - increasingly - urban tours.
Riding the Segway PT
Riding a Segway PT is as intuitive as walking. Users lean forward to go forward, with the forward speed proportional to the amount of lean (up to a limit built into the device). Stand upright to stop or to remain in place. Lean back to go backward, again with proportional (and limited) speed. Turn by leaning the handlebars left or right.
"I was a bit afraid of it, at first," said Marlene D., who joined a Yuma, Arizona Segway tour. "But Kate, the tour guide, was very patient with me and showed me how to start and stop and go up and down curb ramps. It only took a few minutes before I felt confident. It's really easy to use."
"Our oldest rider was 85," added Kate Cook of SegwaYuma Tours. "He had no trouble at all. Most people catch on quite easily, and we give them all the time and help they need to feel comfortable."
Because of the need for direct communication and supervision, a Segway guided tour is usually in done in a small group. The Yuma Segway tour has a maximum of six, which means that the guide can be on a first-name basis with each tour member and can easily structure the tour according to the needs, abilities, and interests of the group. The result is a unique Segway guided tour with a personal touch unmatched by standard bus tours.
Cook and her husband Steve, a retired airline pilot, started their Segway Guided Tour company in November, 2008. "We were looking for a good business, and recognized a need for this kind of thing in the Yuma area," Steve explained. "We offer up to a half hour of training, then a 90-minute tour." The tour goes through historic downtown Yuma, over the Ocean to Ocean Bridge, through Yuma Crossing, along the Colorado River to Pivot Point, through part of West Wetlands Park, past the Quartermaster Depot, and back downtown.
Segway Tours - With Guide
"Transporters are becoming popular because they allow tourists to cover much more territory than a walking tour while still offering an up-close-and-personal experience, a quality often missing from bus tours and similar excursions….This often results in a tour that is much more fun and lively than a traditional mass-market tour," claims Segway Guided Tours Directory.
According to the Directory, the number of Segway Guided Tour companies has grown ten-fold since 2004. Of 200 currently listed independent tour operators, twenty-one are in California, with Florida a close second at eighteen.
In addition to U.S. locations, the directory lists tours in Canada, Lithuania, Turkey, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom; the site reports that the number of international Segway guided tour operations doubled between 2006 and 2008.
Is a Segway Guided Tour Worthwhile?
"I think it was good value for the money," Marlene concluded at the end of the tour, "and I'm glad we went. Because we caught on to riding the Segway quickly, Steve actually took us for almost a two hour tour and he was a very interesting and entertaining guide. We could stop whenever we wanted to spend a little more time, or to have a drink of water or for a break, which you can't do on a bus tour."
Would she take another Segway guided tour in another city?
"Oh, definitely. It was fun."
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