MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — Enterprising Australian commuters have been riding scooters to the office, thanks to leisure equipment manufacturer Jones Leisuretech's revival of this unusual peak-hour transport medium. Now Jones is aiming at the American market.
``The scooter is a perfectly practical commuter vehicle,'' said David Jones, owner of Melbourne-based Jones Leisuretech. ``You can take it in the elevator and put it in a corner of the office.''
He said the Jones scooter design, which won Victorian Young Designer of the Year and Eco-recycle Environment awards for creator Andrew Cook, gave it strength and versatility.
The one-piece plastic frame takes various sizes of clip-on wheels. It can be adapted for use in the snow by replacing the wheels with a ski. Made from high density polyethylene, with no inserted metal parts, the frame is rotomolded by Melbourne's Linpac Mouldings Pty. Ltd.
Last year's initial production run of 1,300 sold out quickly in Australia and New Zealand. An updated range, including an electric model, will be launched at April's Taiwan Bicycle Exhibition. Jones said his main targets will be North American and European distributors. Talks with United Kingdom distributors are in progress.