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10 December 2024
Alan Morris on a Segway in Madrid.
Alan Morris on a Segway in Madrid.

I think the first time I saw a Segway was on television. It was a policeman riding one somewhere, and I thought straight away that I had to have a go on one. I have now crossed riding a Segway off my bucket list.

What is a segway?

A Segway is a two-wheeled, self-balancing personal transporter device invented by Dean Kamen. It is a registered trademark of Segway Inc. It was brought to market in 2001 as the Segway HT and then subsequently as the Segway PT.

Ninebot, a Beijing-based transportation robotics startup rival, acquired Segway Inc. in April 2015, broadening the company to include other transportation devices. In June 2020, it was announced that it would no longer make the Segway PT.

Where I have ridden a Segway.

I have ridden a Segway several times now, and if I had the money, I would buy one myself. They are fun and easy to use once you have got the hang of them.

San Francisco.

The first time I went on a Segway was in San Francisco. I joined a Segway tour of the City. Going up the hills on a Segway was much easier than walking. It was a great way to see San Francisco. There were about 6 of us in the group being shown around, and we saw a lot more and heard a lot more about the City from our tour guide than we would by doing it ourselves. It was strange that we became a tourist attraction for the day, and people photographed us as we weaved through the downtown traffic around Pier 39 and the historic district.

At one point, I remember stopping at traffic lights next to one of those cars that bounced up and down. The driver had music booming from his stereo and bounced up and down, showing off next to me. I turned to him and told him that it looked terrific but then asked him if he could do this. I then spun the Segway around on the spot and moved forward and backward using just one finger. He laughed so much that he missed the traffic light change, and I managed to burn him off at the lights.

New Orleans.

New Orleans was the second place I rode on a Segway, and as I had already used one before, I didn't have to do the 10-minute lesson before the tour started. Again, it was a great way to see New Orleans, a lot easier than walking, and our tour guide showed us a lot of things that I had missed on all of my previous visits and different tours. Again, we became a mobile tourist attraction, with people stepping into the street to take our photos as we passed by.

Savannah.

Savannah was another place that I was glad I did a Segway tour rather than a walking one, as it was too hot to walk far. The tour was fantastic, and I saw more of Savannah on a Segway than I would have done in a car, on foot, or a tour bus.

Madrid.

I did a half-day Segway tour of Madrid, and it was fantastic. I was lucky that the tour included only myself, my friend Paul and our tour guide. He asked what we wanted to see and organised our tour around it. He even included lunch in a back street bar that we would never have found. We had a great time on this tour and even went up and down steps, crossing over a railway line while enjoying seeing everything we wanted to visit.

I can't wait to go on my next Segway tour, and when I plan my trips now, I always look to see if there is a Segway trip I can incorporate into it.

Cordoba.

I was fortunate on this Segway tour of Cordoba. I was the only one on the tour and would have the tour guide to myself. She spoke excellent English and asked me if there was anything, in particular, I wanted to see. I told her it was my first time in Cordoba and asked her to show me as much of Cordoba as time would allow. In the two hours I spent with her, we travelled all over Cordoba, and she showed me many interesting places that I hope to go back to and see in more detail.

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