E-mail
PrintMany Segway scooters in Columbia were repaired last week after Segway Inc. recalled the scooters because of a software glitch that reverses the direction of the wheels and causes riders to fall.
Segway Inc., based in Bedford, N.H., issued a voluntary recall Thursday of the scooters it has sold since launching the product in 2001. The company has received six incident reports in which riders fell and injured their heads and wrists.
Segway scooter owners have been advised not to ride the device until after the revised software is installed, according to a recall notice signed by Segway Inc. President and CEO Jim Norrod.
The company has four dealers in Missouri, one in Kansas City, St. Louis, Branson and Columbia. In Columbia, 20 to 30 scooters have been sold since the dealership opened in December 2005, said James Rose, market sales manager at Segway of Missouri in Columbia at 2703 E. Broadway.
“We contacted our customers yesterday by phone and e-mail,” Rose said. “Almost all of them have returned to get the software upgrade. The process takes about 15 minutes.”
A basic Segway scooter is priced at $5,000. It can be rented for $60 per day or $1,750 per semester. Aside from being used by private consumers, the scooter is used by Columbia police officers. During football games, MU’s Truman the Tiger mascot also rides a Segway scooter. No incidents occurred related to the software glitch in Columbia, Rose said.
Show Me the Errors 
Comments