SUMMER 2009 EDITION
FAMILY»
Residents consider transportation alternatives to save money
Jessie King/STAFF
Robin Tillitt, of Columbia, poses outside her house with a Rattler 110 by Genuine Scooter — a scooter she shares with her son Jacob.
COLUMBIA — Rising gas prices have prompted several consumers to look for more efficient transportation than cars and trucks. People such as Robin Tillitt of Columbia are going from SUVs to scooters in an effort to save money and be eco-friendly.
Last month, Tillitt, 47, switched from a Toyota Highlander to a Buddy scooter manufactured by Chicago-based company Genuine Scooters. Asked why she bought her Buddy, she said it was because of “the price of gas.”
The cost of gas has been a major concern for consumers for more than a year. In July 2008, the price of gas averaged $4.11 nationwide, according to a AAA Fuel Gauge Report. A year later, the nationwide average has decreased to $2.56 a gallon. Despite this year's lower prices, consumers such as Tillitt think gas costs will rise again.
The savings are considerable for commuters who switch to scooters from traditional vehicles. The two- and three-wheelers get 70 to 100 miles per gallon compared to 17 to 26 miles per gallon for an average car or truck. In Tillitt’s case, she increased her gas mileage with her Buddy to 90 miles per gallon from 18 miles per gallon with her Highlander.
On a two-gallon tank of fuel, the Buddy can take Tillitt about 180 miles for $4.58, with the current price of gas in Columbia averaging $2.29 per gallon. In the Highlander, the same trip would cost Tillitt $22.90.
Tillitt also said she considered the environment when buying her Buddy.
“I like the ability to be eco-friendly,” she said.
Steven Tuchschmidt also considered those factors when he and his sister, Katie, opened a scooter dealership, Vespa of Columbia, in August 2008.
Sales in the past year have been moderate. In a good month, the shop sells 22 scooters. The average number of sales is 10 to 15 per month. Although the owners think the economy presented a good time for opening the dealership, Jake Tillitt, a sales representative at the dealership and Robin Tillitt’s son, said he thinks the recession has hurt sales.
“It is a luxury good,” Jake Tillitt said of scooters such as the Buddy and various models of Italian-made Vespas. Once the recession eases, he said he thinks sales will improve: “People will have more disposable income available.”
Jake Tillitt said that in addition to gas mileage and their emission levels, scooters compare favorably to traditional vehicles in price and vehicle life.
Scooters range in cost from $2,000 to a little more than $9,000.
“Some scooters can have 100,000 miles,” Jake Tillitt said. “Vespa value appreciates after 10 years.”
Tillitt also said he thinks scooters have an edge over the transit system as commuters seek alternative methods of travel. The “transit runs on a schedule and only has certain drop-off points,” he said.
Columbia City Manager Bill Watkins said that over the past year the number of people riding city buses has increased despite the city doubling the cost of a bus ride. During the city’s last fiscal year, which ran from Oct. 1, 2007, through Sept. 30, 2008, 1.85 million passengers used the system. From Oct. 1, 2008, through April 2009, 1.37 million passengers used the transit system.
Robin Tillitt said she had considered using the transit system but opted to buy her scooter.
“The bus stop is a mile away,” she said. “And it doesn’t go by my work.”