Scoot on over, walking. The new age of transportation has arrived.

Shared electric scooters may not be new news for residents of cosmopolitan cities across the US and Europe, but for Lima, Peru, this fad is very new – and exciting. The gasless green gadgets have enough get up-and-go to easily manoeuvre the flat oceanfront neighbourhoods of Lima’s Costa Verde, and fit in style wise as well. Some are arguing that they can already see a drop in traffic levels as more would-be taxi takers opt for fresh air and two wheels.

The sea-side neighbourhoods experience the most action as far as scooters are concerned. This is partly due to higher socio-economic status, and partly because many Limeneans find themselves in these parts for leisure. Bicycles are still popular as well, and even more so with travellers (some exclusive hotels like Atemporal offer bicycles to their guests free of charge), but we will see if that changes as the scooters gain ground.

The convenience of the scooters is unquestioned. The most popular neighbourhoods are outfitted with very wide sidewalks and errands do not typically take Limeneans farther than a block or two. Safety is thus not a concern, but do watch out when Lima has been hit with soft drizzling rain.

Despite the increasing popularity, some of the more traditional tea-time analysts have thrown in the challenge flag on whether or not electric scooters degrade the heritage of the proud capital. In any case, at the moment it appears that the green machines are here to stay. This writer approves, citing the fact that in the City of Kings, we are all royalty – and everyone should have their own private transport.

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