As more South Africans come to grips with the absolute chaos that is being caused by the lack of sufficient electricity capacity in the country and rolling blackouts, there is an increasingly strong case for people to ditch their cars in favour of bikes and scooters to avoid the traffic jams associated with what has become an everyday life – load-shedding.
They are by no means that safest mode of transport, given the terrible manner in which South Africans drive (particularly min-bus taxis and rich-kids in SUVs), but their fuel efficiency and their ability to weave in and out of stand-still traffic make then a very very attractive investment.
Heck, using them on the highway is also a possibility as many highways in SA tend to move at snail’s pace during rush hours.
The cost of fuel in South Africa nowadays is reason enough to spend most of your travelling time on a Bike or scooter. And at the price-point (between R7,000 and R15,000), even financing a scooter over 54 months will cost little over R150 – R300 per month – making it the perfect wheels for even the most cash-strapped South African.
For the more affluent amongst us, put it on your credit card and pay it off over 12 months, or finance it over 24/36 months (At around R400 per month) and you’ll avoid the wrath of the reserve bank minister when he decides to continue the interest rate carnage.
The bottom line is that South Africans are going to lose their minds if they have to sit in four hours of traffic a day and hopefully, with enough of them on the roads, there may be a more favourable environment for bikes and scooters to keep SA on the roads.
(Ed’s note: I for one am going to buy a scooter this week!)
