Recognising a gap in the market, they’ve started a rental scooter business, eMobilityQt, offering lightweight, foldable electric scooters for hire for the visitor market, in particular.
‘‘In a destination like Queens-town, where exploring the outdoors and local towns is such a big part of the experience, we wanted to create an option so people don’t have to miss out,’’ Mowat says.
She’s thinking, especially, of people with temporary injuries, limited mobility, and older travellers in general.
Hoffman notes the scooters are collapsible and weigh only 17kg — ‘‘unlike those big scooters, you have the flexibility of being able to travel around with it’’.
Suitable on hard surfaces like footpaths, their maximum speed’s 6kmh — ‘‘but that’s faster than walking speed’’.
The range is 16km per charge.
‘‘I went to the Wānaka show and I was on it for the whole day and I used 50% of the total charge.’’
Hirers, though, can also take a spare battery.
Mowat adds locals preparing to host elderly relatives might also consider renting them a scooter.
The rental cost’s $100 a day, $250 for three days and $500 for a week — deliveries and pickups are extra.
