If you’re a runner of a certain age, you recall a time when feet and wheels dominated Singapore’s transportation scene. Rickshaws morphed into trishaws and ultimately auto and bus systems came along to serve the city-state, but Singapore craved a state-of-the-art mass transit system that delivered dependability, efficiency, convenience and affordability — which is how our “world class” Mass Rapid Transit system came to be.
What’s next on the horizon? An ambitious effort to make Singapore a car-free zone in an effort to solve multiple problems related to land scarcity, air quality and the ongoing congestion that’s got everyone frustrated.
Before that day arrives, you have more immediate concerns as a fully-engaged runner: You must regularly show up at outrageously early hours for event flag-offs or come home late at night after attending event-related festivities or night runs.
As a result, shuttle buses may have become your lone solution — until now. Are you weary of depending upon others to get you to destinations? Maybe it’s time to think beyond rails and roads.
Solution #1: Bored? Maybe a Board is Your Transport Solution
Like Xerox and Kleenex, the Hoverboard was the first self-balancing transportation platform on the market, so it’s currently the gold standard. However, it’s by no means the only show in town.
Society’s fascination with self-balancing scooters has enticed myriad manufacturers to jump into the game.
Brands like Airwheel, Vecaro, IOHawk, Powerboard, PhunkeeDuck, AlienWheels and Monorover currently headline this crowded market.
What do all of these boards have in common? You’ll have to decide that for yourself because while they operate on the same principles, bells and whistles and extreme price diversity make each of these brands unique.
If you decide to buy a board, we strongly recommend doing your homework, because, by the very nature of these products, accidents and injuries are regularly reported.
Visit this website to see what’s been recalled and what hasn’t and if you find the right one, you can bid a fond farewell to your crowded shuttlebus dilemmas.
Solution #2: Invest in a Fold-Down Bicycle
Buy yourself a fold down bike and make quick work of getting to ultra-early start times flagged off before most of Singapore gets up and brushes its collective teeth!
This affordable transportation makes a great mass transit substitute when the weather’s good, and you can leave it home on days that aren’t so great — you know, the big marathon that winds up scheduled on the day a near-monsoon decides to sweep through Singapore.
Here are more reasons to consider a fold-down bike. For some weird reason, fold-down bikes don’t appeal to thieves! While standard-size bikes may disappear daily, these don’t — even the latest and greatest folding bike models on the market.
Thanks to the laws of physics, folding bikes with smaller wheels literally accelerate faster than a Kenyan runner. Maintenance won’t put a dent in your budget, you enjoy a moratorium from fuel, car parks and insurance and bike mechanics can fix you up fast.
Miss your gym time? Unlike hoverboards, folding bikes require you to exert yourself and hold their value so well, if you dislike yours, sell it and you won’t take a financial bath.
Solution #3: Treat Yourself to an Electric Unicycle
If you have no desire to ride a bike — even a fold-down one — and a hoverboard is too scary and unpredictable for your lifestyle, what about a totally cool electric unicycle that looks like a rolling suitcase but functions as your comfortable and colourful transportation alternative?
If a travel vehicle can be called stylish, fun — even handsome — test drive an Inmotion V3, the Porsche of self-balance machines. On average, it only takes about five minutes to get the lay of the land and learn to use it because the engineering comes down to a base that’s larger and more solid than those boards.
Unlike hoverboards, this vehicle is as practical by night as it is by day thanks to an “intelligent lamp switch” that gives you visibility in the wee early hours and late at night, assuming you love to stick around for post-marathon after parties.
You’ll even enjoy mobile phone app control built into the electric unicycle and you can set various distance parameters that get you to your target site without getting lost. Besides, this transport pod doesn’t come close to resembling a bike, so taking it on the MRT is always a possibility.
Solution #4: Get an MUV-e on Toward the Future
Segways cost a fortune. You’ve no desire to pedal anything and consider hoverboards dangerous after applying due diligence to your research. You need something to hold on to if you’re going to zip your way to your next ultra.
How about saving up your bucks for an Israeli invention called an MUV-e, a 3-wheel stand-and-ride scooter guaranteed to stop traffic once more of them are out and about?
Who’s behind this fun machine? A former Ferrari and Fiat designer and team of Israeli innovators, and while this looks like an ordinary scooter, don’t let your children near it. Plug-in charging ports for electronic devices, extra stability in the 3-wheel configuration and it folds down to resemble a high-end vacuum.
The retail price is so low, you can buy a couple of these for the same price as a single Segway. The first batch of MUV-es have already sold out, so if you can’t live without one of these, get on the waitlist for the next shipment, and remember that all good things are worth waiting for!
What’s keeping you from inviting energy-saving, money-saving, time-saving alternate transport into your life?
