Store Finds Its Niche By Marketing ‘DUI Scooters’

New to the scooter business, Doug Vitello and Gary Parr worked hard to meet their customers’ needs. But there was one type of customer they couldn’t serve, according to a story in The St. Petersburg Times.
Again and again, they kept hearing: I got a DUI. I lost my license. Do you have something I can use to get around?

Sunset Scooters did not. So Vitello and Parr started researching and found a type of electric scooter made in China and distributed out of California. They ordered some. They tried them out. They put a sign in their window:

“DUI SCOOTERS.”

They look like gas-powered mopeds, with bright candy-red and blue bodies, backrests and decorative detailing. They have headlights and window shields and go up to 20 mph.

And, yes, they’re legal to ride without a license.

They have pedals, which may or may not be used, and run for up to 25 miles on an electric charge. They fit a state and federal description of “low-speed electric bicycles.” Sunset Scooters gives customers copies of the law, recommending they laminate it and keep it with them.
Photo by St. Petersburg Times.

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