Chapter 30: E-Scooters, E-Bikes, and Age Discrimination

As I've already pointed out, Gibraltar is not the easiest place to drive around, or park in. This is why a large section of the population use mopeds.

Driving conditions in Gibraltar.

Having a car in Gibraltar proved extremely useful, for grocery shopping, a quick trip into town, or going to the beach. However, in my early weeks in Gibraltar I quickly realised the difficulty of driving in the territory, so I started to look around at alternatives to the car, for some of the narrower streets, or places without parking. I decided against getting a moped, as I would be legally required to pass a test before I could drive it, and it would be an additional cost in addition to the car. I had seen a lot of people use e-scooters. While as a driver I found these a menace on the road, I thought I would give one a try, perhaps as a means of getting to places just beyond comfortable walking distance.

I had just sat my car driving test, I wasn't ready for another one!

In Gibraltar, you can rent an e-scooter from a number of locations. One of those locations is right outside my accommodation. The scooters are provided by a company called Hoppy, who provide a similar service in many other European locations. Before I could rent the e-scooter, I needed to download an app (isn't there always an app!). I then had to provide the app with payment details. Once that was done, I used the app to unlock the e-scooter and get it started up. The e-scooter came with a helmet, safety first! It also had a headlight, and indicator lights. I kicked back the scooter stand, then stood on it with one foot, and pushed it along with my other foot, just like a kids scooter. Once a bit of momentum had been gathered, the engine kicked in and I could stand on it with both feet, and let the engine do the work.

Hoppy e-scooters

I practiced a couple of times around the car park, then set off to one of the beaches. It was a windy day, so I didn't feel particularly secure. I was glad I had chosen the quieter beach road, than attempting to take it into town. I parked it up at the beach next to some other e-scooters, and could leave it there. It had cost me nearly £20 so far, the cost of a taxi. Clearly the e-scooter's weren't very viable as an everyday mode of transport. I went off to enjoy the beach, and got a cab back to my accommodation, figuring if I was going to pay that sort of money, a cab was a more comfortable option than an e-scooter.

This is a taxi in Gibraltar - they like big vehicles in Gib despite the small roads.

The second mode of transport I fancied trying was an e-Bike. These aren't motorbikes, but look more like a conventional pedal bike. However instead of you having to pedal hard, the e-Bike does most of the work for you. A shop in town hires them out, and while this wouldn't be convenient for regular use, I thought if I liked it I could buy one. I'd made a booking to rent one, and when I told my mate Diego about it, he fancied trying one too. Like the scooter, we were given a helmet, and the e-Bike also had an automatic light which came on in the dark. We set of at quite a speed, as the e-Bikes were quite sensitive, and even a small bit of peddling was enough to generate a lot of momentum. The e-Bike shop was in the town centre, so the plan was to head in the direction of the airport, then take the road to the eastern beaches. In most towns or cities, this would be quite a trek, but in Gibraltar, nothing is that far away (with Google maps estimating the time for most car journeys in Gib no more than 13 minutes).

Looks like a regular bike, feels like a motor bike!

Unfortunately, still unfamiliar with the roads at this point, we took a wrong turning at a roundabout, and almost ended up in Spain. This also took us through a tunnel, in which we were dicing with death among the moped drivers, who must have a different edition of the highway code! It did give us the chance to check our lights were working though. When we got to the beach, we were able to lock the bikes at a convenient spot right on the beach, which was great. The e-Bikes had provided a fun afternoon out, but at over £1000 to buy, they were quite an investment. If I had one, I could only see me using it occasionally. They were fine on the relative flat around the coast (where we had taken them), but taking them up the rock would be a different matter. Indeed, so much of Gibraltar is extremely steep, that a lot of the terrain could be hard work, even with an e-Bike.

I'll be honest, this is a stock photo, we didn't get this far up the Rock!

When we returned the e-bikes to the shop in town, the shop was unexpectedly closed. There was a note on the door saying the owner would be back in an hour. We were both tired and hungry, so we locked the e-Bikes up next to the shop, and decided to get something to eat at a nearby restaurant. To lock the e-bikes, rather than using a chain to lock it to a railing, you use a key to immobilise the e-Bike. There was no letter box at the shop to put the keys through, so we took the keys with us, and we would return after an early dinner. When we returned an hour later, the shop was still closed. However, the e-bikes had disappeared! In a panic we thought someone had stolen them, and we would be liable for paying for them. We waited outside the shop for another 10 minutes, but no one appeared. I was getting fed up by this point, so I looked on their website for a contact number. When I called there was no answer, but I left a voicemail explaining we were outside the shop with the keys. I got a text back quickly saying the owner would be there shortly. 5 minutes later the owner appeared to take the keys. He had returned earlier, and seeing the bikes locked outside the shop, had taken them into the shop. We handed over the keys to him, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Dude where's our e-Bikes?

With neither of these modes of transport providing a realistic alternative to the car, I resolved to use my car as much as possible, to get me comfortable driving around Gibraltar's narrow streets. Ironically, in the weeks that followed, I would find out that I would be unable to keep my car in Gibraltar for the duration of my studies. Before I left the UK, I had been advised that I would be able to import my car into Gibraltar, and get Gibraltar licence plates put on it. However, what no one told me, is that the car has to be under 5 years of age, in order to do this. My car, unfortunately, dates from 2015, therefore it is over the threshold. So I may end up back on the scooter or e-bike after all!

Age discrimination is rife in Gibraltar!