Segway into summer Dealer to offer tours in Portland

PORTLAND – A southern Maine Segway dealer is getting set to offer guided tours of Portland’s Eastern Promenade that will enable customers to try out the two-wheeled high-tech transport machines.

Starting next week, Annie Cook’s business, Segway Maine, will provide twice-daily tours, adding a new option for Portland visitors whose current choices include amphibious duck boats, harbor boat tours, trolleys and a narrow-gauge railroad.

The two-hour tours, which will cost $62 for out-of-staters and $49 for Maine residents, will give people a chance to test out a Segway without plopping down $3,895 for the basic model and $600 more for a slightly more robust version.

Cook, who lives in Yarmouth and teaches math in Sabattus, is an authorized Segway dealer for southern Maine.

“Many people will take this tour because it’s a novelty,” Cook said. “I think once they take a ride, they’ll understand this is something new and important.

“It’s not a scooter or a skateboard. It’s very adult; it’s a very intelligent way to move.”

The Segways use a combination of gyroscopes for balance, and microchips and software to run. After about 10 minutes, a neophyte can master the basics. Movement forward or backward is realized by leaning on the balls of the feet or on the heels. To turn, the rider twists a wheel on the handlebars -like the throttle on a motorcycle.

The devices attracted attention this week as area workers stopped by to check the Segways out, and folks walking on the Eastern Promenade trail chatted with Cook.

John Zaner of Gorham said he thought the Segways could be great for elderly who are forced to get about with walkers – the high-tech devices would be easier to use, he said.

“So many things that come out don’t really represent breakthroughs,” he said. “I think these represent a true breakthrough.

“I can’t afford one now, but I think they’re great.”

Cook’s interest in the Segway took root in February when she and two friends, Diana Hansen and Martha Lovejoy, visited her parents in Florida. Cook’s mother had arranged a Segway tour around Sarasota, and the three friends couldn’t stop talking about the transports afterward.

“We had a blast,” said Cook. “As soon as you’re on it, you start to think about who they would be great for.”

The very devices make you think “outside the box,” said Cook, and as a teacher, that was exciting to her. She began researching the New Hampshire-based company, and found opportunities based on her somewhat seasonal occupation.

As a teacher, Cook has the summers off and both of her friends work at schools.

“I thought we could create a summer job for us that would be fun,” she explained.

Cook has a fleet of eight Segways for the tours and four on-hand for immediate sale.

Segway Maine can be reached at 846-3337.