Scooters and Mopeds

They are fun, fast, and offer the utmost freedom to explore, but you should not underestimate the very real dangers associated with renting mopeds and scooters. Scores of visitors every year end up in the hospital’s Emergency Room for treatment of grazes and gashes—“road rash” in local parlance—which can ruin a vacation. More serious injuries such as broken limbs and head and back injuries, even fatalities, also occur—a record 17 people were killed on Bermuda’s roads in 2008—meaning that the decision to rent scooters should not be made lightly. The problem is such that cruise ships no longer recommend rental scooters to passengers for liability reasons, though livery reps do offer their services at dockside.

For those visitors who choose to rent motorized bikes, note that children under 16 years may not drive motor scooters, though they can sit on the back as passengers—a highly risky proposition for youngsters. All scooter drivers and passengers are required by law to wear safety helmets securely fastened at all times.

Most gas stations are open 7 a.m.–7 p.m. daily, though some remain open later. The only 24-hour gas station is Esso City Tigermart (37 Richmond Rd., Hamilton, tel. 441/295-3776).

Rentals

There are four liveries. The largest, Oleander Cycles (6 Valley Rd., Paget, tel. 441/236-5235, fax 441/236-3916, 24-hour answering service, www.oleandercycles.bm [1]), has six satellite locations: 15 Gorham Rd., Hamilton (tel. 441/295-0919, fax 441/292-7336); 8 Middle Rd., Southampton (tel. 441/234-0629); The Reefs Resort [2], South Shore Rd., Southampton (tel. 441/236-5235); The Clock Tower, Royal Naval Dockyard [3] (tel. 441/234-2764); Cambridge Beaches in Sandys [4] (30 Kings Point Rd., tel. 441/234-0331); and 26 York St., St. George’s (tel. 441/297-0478). All are open 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. daily.

Wheels Cycles (117 Front St., tel. 441/292-2245, fax 441/296-6423, wheels [at] northrock [dot] bm, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. daily) has another outlet at Grotto Bay Resort in Hamilton Parish [5] (Blue Hole Hill, tel. 441/293-2378). Eve’s Cycles (114 Middle Rd., Paget, tel. 441/236-6247, fax 441/236-6996, www.evecycles.com [6], 8 a.m.–5 p.m. daily) has a second location in the East End (1 Water St., St George’s, tel. 441/236-0839). Smatt’s Cycle Livery (74 Pitts Bay Rd., outside the Fairmont Princess Hotel, tel. 441/295-1180, fax 441/295-2539, smattsmarketing [at] gmail [dot] com, www.smattscyclelivery.com [7], 8 a.m.–5 p.m. daily) has a second outlet at the Fairmont Southampton Resort [2] (tel. 441/238-7800, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. daily).

All the liveries offer a free shuttle between their outlets and locations where visitors are staying, and also pick up clients left stranded by broken-down vehicles. They also have representatives at No. 6 Shed and at Dockyard [3] and St. George’s wharves when cruise ships are in port. All scooters and mopeds have 50-cc engines with electric start and automatic gears. Rates vary, usually starting at around $50 per day, with special rates for longer rentals, but prices are fairly competitive between the companies and include delivery and pick-up, a basket accessory, mandatory third-party insurance ($15–25), and the all-important helmet and lock.