SEGWAY TOUR

By Ryan Quigley

Journal Pioneer

Tour Guide Charmaine Comeau stands outside P.E.I. Segway tours moments before giving me a tour.

SUMMERISDE- It was cold as I stepped outside of the P.E.I. Segway Tours storefront after enjoying a safety video. Owner Greg Weeks and tour guide Charmaine Comeau escorted me to my ride, the Segway Personal Transporter assuring me that it was a safe experience. My nerves made it hard to believe them.

As I walked up to Elroy, the name of the Segway Person Transporter that I was going to share my first ride with, I grew more nervous, even after having a helmet properly secured to my head. Two adjacent wheels plus an uncoordinated man never usually equals a successful venture.

Comeau, my tour guide on my maiden voyage, stood in front of the biped device and grasped the two handlebars at the top of the slender pole connecting it to the platform, checked to make sure it was in beginner mode and then urged me to step on.
“Step onto the letters of Segway on the platform,” she instructed.

 I slowly stepped on, anticipating the impending fall I believed to be coming. It didn’t come.

As I balanced on the device a smiled cracked my face.

After some positive reinforcement from Comeau, it was time for my hands on training before the real tour began. Before they take you out and about, you have to be able to complete an obstacle course.

Comeau never let go of the handlebars, urging me to lean forward and to inch ahead, progressively letting each distance get further between her and I.

My first few attempts at movement were much like the movies depict, and sometimes reality, someone’s first car drive. There was a lot of starting and just as quickly stopping as my nerves tried to wear themselves out.

After at least two minutes of awkward movements, I was loosening up. I was able to begin moving back and forth, finally able to move.

It began to feel natural as I glided around corners and leaned back to stop.

After a few more laps Comeau and Weeks were assured I was ready to go. We began weave around the city’s boardwalk, Comeau stopping at landmarks and educating me on their history, such as the Eptek Centre, the old Railway Harbour, the Coast Guard station where a certain Prince and Princess will be and more.

The bumps and cracks we met along the way were easily navigated. When we reached the halfway point of our ride and I was feeling very confident, she took beginner mode off.

“I am a natural,” I thought.

As we arrived back at the lighthouse I came to a stop, safe and sound. After we discussed the pricing of a tour, which is $39 for half an hour and $69 for an hour, Comeau told me about her first time on the Segway PT.

“There’s a bit of nervousness of course, but that fades away very quickly within a minute or so and you’re just excited.”

With five Personal Transporters total, each with a different name, they take four people at a time and also plan on catering to business functions with team building exercises based around the PTs said Weeks.

“We would cater it to each (business). There are different obstacle courses or games that we do that, for small teams in a team based work environment, it encourages them to assist or rely on one another.”