Commuting these days burns a hole in our pockets. For commuters, the minimum fare had been increased, not to mention that they need to spend hours in line waiting for the next van or jeepney.
For us motorcyclists, fuel prices are at an all-time high. In fact, as of this writing, the average price of premium gasoline from the “Big 3” is still at PHP 70.XX ±. It is during these times that we look for alternative means of commuting in order to save money. This is where an electric kick scooter from Minimotors comes in handy.
Minimotors Bluetran Lightning
The Bluetran Lightning from our friends at Minimotors is a compact electric kick scooter that is powered by a 72-volt, 35-ampere-hour lithium-ion battery. The Bluetran Lightning also boasts a very powerful motor, capable of propelling the scooter to more than 100 km/h.
There are actually 3 riding modes for the Bluetran Lightning which acts like a limiter to save on battery. The higher the speed you go, the faster the battery juice drains. The 1st mode limits the scooter to only 30 km/h, 2nd up to 60 km/h, while the 3rd riding mode will be full-blast.
During the 2 weeks that the scooter was on loan with us, it was really fun to ride the Bluetran Lightning and we’ve also noticed a lot of advantages that the scooter brought.
ZERO fuel expenses
Coming from a motorcycle rider myself, it was quite a refreshing experience when I no longer have to visit the gas station after a full day’s ride around the Metro. Since this is an electric kick scooter, All I have to do is to plug the Bluetran Lightning all night, then plug it again on a regular 220-volt socket like a mobile phone once I’m in the office. The cost of charging is around PHP 5.00 only for 8 hours.
ZERO parking expenses
Being a non-internal combustion engine (ICE) mobility device, offices, as well as almost ALL Metro Manila establishments allow entry of an electric kick scooter for FREE.
This means that, if you’re being charged PHP 80 to PHP 100 for 9 hours of parking at the parking lot, riding an electric kick scooter like the Bluetran Lightning will save you up to PHP 2,200 a month on parking fees alone.
You can enter the Mall with your Bluetran Lightning
Being a personal mobility device (PMD) has its perks, and one of them is that malls (with the exception of SM Supermalls in my experience) allow you to enter their premises with your electric kick scooter, as long as you don’t ride them inside in respect with the other mall goers.
This means you can shop, dine and watch a movie with your kick scooter by your side. Best of all, ZERO parking fees whatsoever.
Has the advantage of being a pedestrian
Motorcycles may weave in and out of gridlock. However, motorcycles are only limited to the roads. With the Bluetran Lightning electric kick scooter, you can ride through pedestrian crosswalks, bike lanes, and everywhere where motorcycles are not allowed, which often saves more time when traveling within the Metro.
Take note, however, to respect pedestrians and ride slowly.
People are happy to see you ride
Motorcycles, unfortunately, have had a bad reputation because of some unruly riders. As a result, a lot of people are not happy or may even look down on motorcycle riders every time they had the chance. Not for the Bluetran Lightning.
Maybe because it’s fairly new or since only a few yuppies are riding electric kick scooters in business centers such as Makati, BGC, and Alabang, a lot of people are often amazed and happy when they see one. It is also worth noting that the small but growing electric kick scooter community is very courteous when they see their fellow scooter riders.
How much did we save?
As mentioned above, we have ZERO expenses in terms of fuel and parking fees. In parking fees alone, that’s already PHP 2,200 a month for PHP 100 per 9 hours of parking.
For fuel, if I spend around PHP 250.00 on premium fuel for my scooter daily, that’s already PHP 5,500 a month. If I’m driving a car or an SUV, this could easily fetch more than PHP 10,000 in fuel expense alone, not to mention the annual registration, maintenance like oil change, and other consumables (about PHP 6,000 a year for a small motorcycle), plus, there’s always the possibility that you might get apprehended for a traffic violation. That’s another PHP 500 to PHP 2,000 + time spent on settling the fine.
With this in mind, we estimate that if we are going to use the Bluetran Lighting for at least a year, we could’ve saved up to PHP 100,400 a year.
Of course, riding an electric kick scooter has its disadvantages as well like you can’t carry much load as a motorcycle, it doesn’t like the heavy rain and it has a price tag of PHP 172,000. But in my book, the pros outweigh the cons.
For more info, visit Minimotors website at www.minimotors.ph or their BGC showroom on the Ground Floor, The Shops at Grand Central Park, 36th St cor 7th Ave, Bonifacio Global City Taguig.
