Disney is using them at its resorts to get janitors and service weenies to rooms within minutes of a trouble call. Some things Disney does better than anybody else. Cruises, resorts and theme parks is one of them.
Disney is using them at its resorts to get janitors and service weenies to rooms within minutes of a trouble call. Some things Disney does better than anybody else. Cruises, resorts and theme parks is one of them.
These are about the only places that I could see using these things. Besides all of the other drawbacks pointed out on this thread (weight, bulk, limited range, etc.), lots of major cities have either passed or are considering laws banning Segways on their sidewalks. Even here, in amusement parks and large industrial complexes, I have to wonder if golf carts couldn't be just as easily used (as they already are), trading off somewhat increased size at a fraction of the cost.
I just can't see these things catching on with the general public as a transportation solution when you can buy a decent used car for half the price of a Segway.
Exactly. Any job where travel time in lots of little chunks eats up a good portion of the day, Segways could reduce the number of people needed to get the job done. Eliminate one salary, and you've paid for three of them. There is a lot of that out there, but they need to start thinking "lots of short trips" instead of continuous travel like postal carriers and cops, or small numbers of large trips like commuting. Segway does not map well to those requirements. It's a "get on it, go 300 yards, get off, do something, get back on and go another 300 yards" kind of thing, where the person's time is worth money, and where walking is 'dead time.'