Shopping With an E-Scooter
Over the years I have enjoyed driving to the shops with a petrol driven scooter for daily shops. I liked that it was small, light and convenient. I only got rid of it, after sixteen years of use because of the cost for a service. Usually it was about 500 but I was quoted 500 CHF, so that’s when I decided to be done with it.
For a while I had no scooter, until I found an Ocean Drive E9 or similar e-scooter. This isn’t a sit down scooter. This is a standing one. Before ownning this one I had tremendous fun with a foot scooter, using it to get to the bus, and train, and then heading to work, and sometimes riding down from Grand Saconnex to Cornavin for fun. It was really enjoyable to use.
The Sensation
The E-scooter is different. For a start an e-scooter is limited to 20km/h. This does sometimes feel quite slow, especially on a busy road with cars overtaking every so often. It’s better on cycle lanes, than on roads without cycle lanes.
One of the things you realise, on an e-scooter, is that the roads are not as smooth as you think. There are small cracks and undulations in the road surface which can be quite jarring, and theoretically throw you forwards, if you are not careful.
I like to ride mine on agricultural roads, rather than normal roads, to be seperate from car traffic as far as possible. When you’re standing on a scooter going at 20 on a normal road with cars passing by you wish you could get more speed. With a bike you can, within reason.
Why An E-Scooter, Rather than an Electric Seated Scooter?
The reason for choosing a standing foot scooter rather than a sitting scooter is price and range. Electric sitting scooters cost thousands of francs and have a range of 20-30km. This is the same range as the standing e-scooter with one major disadvantage.
With the foot scooter you can fold it and catch a train. This means that although you have a 20km range with both machines, the range, if you can catch a train, is unlimited. If you combine the train with an electric foot scooter then you have great flexibility.
Food Shopping with an E-scooter
Food shopping with an e-scooter requires one key thing. Remembering that you have limited storage, and that weight plays a role in balance. That’s why you take a basket, rather than a chariot. If it fits in the basket it should fit in the bag.
On this shopping trip I didn’t buy drinks because that instantly takes a lot of space, and adds a lot of weight. Despite having the larger hiking bag on my back I felt comfortable. During the summer months this is definitely a good option for food shopping.
The Alternatives
There are two key alternatives. The publibike bikes that are available nearby or buses. The advantage of the publibike bike is that some are electric so downhill you can go as fast as you can pedal, but uphill they are limited to 25km/h, or faster if you have the leg strength. The drawback is that it costs 3 CHF per half hour so it costs as much as the bus.
The bus is another alternative but the drawback with the bus is that you would need to rush to do your shopping within 20 minutes to catch it back, depending on where you plan to shop, and what alternatives exist.
And Finally
The e-scooter is cheaper than a bike, and more flexible than a bus. It allows you to run errands at a location two kilometres away, with ease. It’s good to remember that the more weight you have on your back, the more you may feel it, and thus the more uncomfortable you may be. Having said that, for today’s shopping it was fine.