Some quick, back of the envelope calculations…
Since making the switch to a scooter for my daily commute I’ve ridden about 1000 miles in the last month, despite record rainfall in Vermont this summer. (grumble)
Along the way I gobbled up 37 fewer gallons of gas — that’s $156 that won’t go to the oil companies, thank-you-very-much — and reduced my carbon footprint by about 740 pounds. More, I’ve had a blast riding, too.
Incidentally, that 740 pounds o’ carbon figure is about the same amount of C02 that you can eliminate by replacing just two incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Which is far cheaper than buying a scooter, if not quite so much fun.
i get 90 mpg on my vespa, and have put about 3,300 miles on it in the past year. which saved roughly $300-plus in gasoline over my toyota camry (whose mileage isn’t shabby).
better carbon footprint — and vastly cheaper cost — than all those snobby prius drivers opining about their offsets. whoohoo.
Do I feel like a piker… I’m getting only 65 mpg on my Piaggio. I’m hoping I may get up to 70 mpg by the time she’s broken in. On the other hand, so far as scooters go it’s a BIG scooter, and has no problems cruising wherever I might take it.