Electric scooters making headway in the region

by Marlon Madden

A new ride is in town. Barbadians could start seeing a lot more electric scooters on the roadways if Jamaica-born businessman Orin Allenger gets his way.

Today’s BUSINESS recently caught up with Allenger in Dover, Christ Church, where he had four of the colourful and stylish electric scooters on display.

“I have been in the island for 72 hours and the reception has been very, very great. It is the same thing like when I first introduce them to Guyana,” said Allenger, as he informed that he had received orders for almost
a dozen of the e-scooters.

With Barbados seeking to transition away from conventional vehicles, Allenger said it was his intention
to play a role in that evolution. However, he said while he would not turn away a sale, his focus will be on rentals to tourists.

“Rentals is primary, but sales is not something we are going to turn away from,” he said. “Bringing them
to Barbados is because Barbados is a tourist location . . . It is an easy way to get through the traffic. Electric
is basically the way everybody is going right now,” said Allenger.

He added that “as much as the locals might love it, basically it is the tourists that will really gravitate to them. Don’t think we are going to try and come and take over the local market or anything like that”.

Allenger said he introduced the electric scooters in Guyana in 2019, a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic started to affect the region. He is also in the process of doing the same in Antigua and Barbuda.

“The business is taking off in Guyana as far as these styles are concerned. There are many in Guyana but these styles are unique because they look mostly like the American chopper bikes,” he noted.

“To be very honest throughout the pandemic it was very good to me. So many people have gotten into the scooter [business] there. It is a big phenomenon there. The school kids, that is what they want now – a scooter to go to school. It is beneficial as long as the school is not very far. Guyana is good. Antigua is just starting up just like here, but it is in motion already,” he said.

Allenger, who goes by the moniker ‘Damian Teflon Forbes’ for his music production and promotion business, said he has already met with several individuals in Bridgetown who have seen the bikes and he liked the reception he was getting. He said coming to Barbados was a natural fit for him since this island was “like a second home to me”.

“I am not going to tell you that this is here to replace your everyday means of transportation. It is not that. It is basically if you want a quick run to the supermarket, you want a quick run to go here or there, you might look and see traffic time come and for you to manoeuvre you can jump on your scooter and just go through and cut out traffic,” he said.

He currently offers 2,000 watts and 3,000 watts e-scooters that can go as fast as 60 kilometres per hour. Allenger explained that staying on flat roads the charge could last between three and four hours and “when you start going up hills you can kill the battery in less than 2 hours just like anything, because you need more power to go up the hill”.

He described the move by the Mia Mottley administration to lower taxes on electric vehicle to 10 per cent as a “great” one, saying “I think that is fair”.

Pointing out that the switch to electric vehicles was taking place all over the world, Allenger said it was important for the Caribbean to quickly adapt.

“We just have to try and adapt. Everybody is not going to love it but I think it is a good thing for us to move forward. I think it is very important at the end of the day,” he said.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb