As gas prices continue to soar, more and more North Carolinians are putting their gas guzzling cars and SUVs in park and hopping on a gas sipping scooter.
GREENSBORO -- As gas prices continue to soar, more and more North Carolinians are putting their gas guzzling cars and SUVs in park and hopping on a gas sipping scooter.
Scott Morgan, general manager of Scooter Vita in Greensboro, has seen his sales triple over the last year and knows exactly why. The scooters he sells have tiny gas tanks but get 60 to 80 miles to the gallon.
And while they may not look too intimidating, some can top out at speeds at over 100 miles-per-hour.
That’s hardly a speed that Morgan needs to reach on his commute to work everyday to and from Summerfield, but the switch is certainly helping his budget.
“It's cost me $10 a week versus driving my truck, which has been costing $90 to $100 to fill up," said Morgan.
As gas prices climb, so do scooter sales.
Then there are riders like Starr Markham from Raleigh. A long time motorcycle rider, she was first introduced to scooters while working in Bermuda and hasn't gone back.
“I can get two bags of groceries and a 12-pack of beer on this thing. You can’t do that on a Harley," said Markham.
In the past 11 months she's logged 7,200 miles on her Vespa. It gets 70 miles per gallon, meaning she only has to fill up about once a week, spending about $7.
With all the money she's saving at the pump, Markham is embarking on a cross-country trip on her scooter next month.
“I'm going to meet up with a bunch of other riders and we're doing a charity ride that goes through the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Monument Valley, all these really great places I've never been before," said Markham.
She's budgeting $142 for gas.
For more information about local scooter groups and activities, visit www.scooterinvasion.net