Free scooters aid for the less agile
Six new mobility scooters will be available from later this month to help people who have trouble walking to get around and enjoy the central city and cultural precinct, thanks to the generosity of the Taranaki Savings Bank (TSB).
Christchurch City Council has been given the scooters by TSB. A similar scheme has been running in Wellington since June last year and New Plymouth also has TSB-donated scooters to help people enjoy its waterfront park.
From 18 June the Christchurch scooters will be available free from the Botanic Gardens, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, the Arts Centre and at Our City Otautahi — the Council facility on the corner of Worcester Boulevard and Oxford Terrace.
The electric-powered scooters are safe and easy to use. For some people, long walks around the Botanic Gardens or Arts Centre are difficult. The scooters will allow users to do things that fitter and more mobile people regard as everyday activities — browsing the shops or simply “strolling” to enjoy the arts and gardens.
The scooters will be available to anyone who has limited mobility, from the elderly to someone with a broken leg. They can be booked for up to three hours and no payment is needed; people will simply be asked to leave a security item such as a drivers licence, another suitable card or car keys. At each collection point
there will be someone who can show new users how to operate the machines.
Fergs Kayaks is an outlet for the free scooters on the Wellington waterfront. Manager Jan Domney says they’re popular and have a “real feel-good factor”.
“We get a lot of older couples especially booking them because one of them isn’t as good at walking as they once were,” she says. “It means they can have a really good look around. They appreciate the service; it’s definitely a feel-good thing.”
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