A Recent Survey of Americans Shows Interest in Scooters for Commuting

Population Interested in Reducing Stress, Time and Cost of Daily Commute

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 9 -- According to a recent study on consumer commuting, Americans are opening up to the idea of using a scooter. Nearly 20% of the population would consider purchasing a scooter and this increases to almost 30% when consumers understand how scooters can save them time, money and most importantly to reduce the daily stress of commuting.

Commuting is one of life's chores, and is unavoidable for most Americans. According to the survey conducted by Consensus Research for Piaggio USA, cost, stress, time and flexibility are the top four complaints by Americans in regards to their commute. Almost 20% of Americans are dissatisfied with the cost and stress related to commuting and nearly 15% with the time and flexibility. As one scooter owner says, "Before I owned my scooter, it would take me an hour and a half to two hours to get home and the first time I had the scooter, wow, I reclaimed so much of my life," and cut his commute to 45 minutes.

Scooter owners have found that they have more control over their time, more flexibility and have the added benefit of lower cost. Another scooter owner remarked, "Cost was one of the deciding factors to convince my wife and my family that it was a great idea. It cost $9 to get into the city every day on the ferry and train as opposed to $4.75 for the tunnel. It was total savings."

As more Americans are warming up to the idea of using a scooter, and nationwide sales continue to grow (21% increase in reported sales of scooters for first quarter 2004 as reported by the Motorcycle Industry Council), many still do not clearly understand the time savings, cost savings and the freedom one can get by using a scooter to commute. In a country where bigger is better, 41% of Americans believe that their own car is the fastest way to commute. However when asked to describe the profile of a scooter owner 50% of those surveyed said that thrifty was the number one attribute. Therefore, although Americans still love their cars there is a general awareness and understanding that scooter owners are saving money. Scooter owners understand this clearly. One scooter owner said, "All the time when people ask me what's the best investment I've ever made -- I say since I moved to San Francisco my scooter is the best investment." Scooter owners know that they are saving money on gas, insurance and parking -- and for some, they believe it is the best investment they've ever made.

The dependence scooter owners have on their scooter is clear when they do not have their scooters to commute. A group of scooterists were asked to give up their scooter for one week and return to their old mode of commuting. For them, the results were disastrous. They were grumpy, annoyed, miserable and complaining, it was "like being punished." They had to relinquish control over their time and schedules. "It took me longer to get to work, it was crowded and smelly," said one scooterist. Another one remarked, "It took me three times longer to get to work, I didn't do things I otherwise would have done."

Scooters address the concerns of American commuters whether it's saving time, money, or reducing stress. The combination of high car insurance cost, gas prices over $2 a gallon and traffic worsening in most metropolitan areas, the market is ripe for a two wheel solution that addresses both the quantitative and qualitative issues of commuting. And the market is not only male. Piaggio USA has seen an increase in female buyers since the reintroduction of the Vespa to the US market in 2000. Women make up over 35% of all new purchases. With an automatic transmission, ample storage space and a step through configuration, scooters are easy and comfortable for everyone to drive.