Segway tour gives tourists new perspective on seeing New Delhi

NEW DELHI, India – It’s difficult, maybe impossible, to truly explore Delhi from the confines of a tour bus or through the rehearsed words of a guide. As the city evolves, it’s only natural that the ways of viewing it also adapt. Driving home the point is the Segway tour, which started recently to not only give tourists and locals a new perspective on seeing the city, but also a way to experience the “rich man’s bicycle”.

It’s a simple enough machine – electric, with two self-balancing wheels, a raised platform to stand on, a steering frame, and handlebars – albeit one that costs about Rs 5 lakh. With a few minutes of practice, it’s even easier to operate – just lean forward to move ahead, turn the frame to change direction, and pull back the handlebars to brake.

“It gives a higher platform to stand on, better access to places where it is difficult to take a car or bike, and has a zero turning radius. It has a speed of 20-25km per hour, and in a single battery charge covers up to 38 km,” says Ankur Bhatia, executive director, Bird Group, which conceived the project here.

They just have a single 45 minute route for now – bookings for which can be made online after May 11 – but plans are underway to start new ones. Bhatia is quite confident of the response, as he says such tours are successful in over 500 cities worldwide, and there is no reason why they wouldn’t be here.

Still, there are some logistic concerns. “Delhi doesn’t have pavements, and the traffic here isn’t regulated either, so we will conduct only morning tours,” he says. Since the machine has, until now, not made an appearance on the streets of Delhi, it doesn’t fail to grab eyeballs either.

These tours have just begun, but a recent spate of innovations has completely revolutionized tourism in the city. No visit to Delhi can be complete without a journey to the old city – in its labyrinthine alleys and narrow bylanes are countless of stories just waiting to be discovered. But what gives the old city its charm also makes it harder to access – cars and buses cannot pass through, and the area is too big to explore on foot in a single trip.

“We would always make it a point to visit the old cities whenever we travelled abroad, and that made us realize that we had hardly ever been to Old Delhi because of the immense chaos and confusion,” says Ritu Kalra, who co-founded ‘When in India’ rickshaw tours with Taruna Nagpal in September last year, combining the spirit of the old city with one of Delhi’s most infamous modes of transport.

“We researched the area for about six months to decide a route, and got special rickshaws made with sofa seats, seat belts, pedestals to get on and off, canopies, coolers for beverages, and first-aid boxes,” says Kalra. In less than a year, they have organized several routes – some of which can be customized – covering different aspects of the potpourri that is the old city.

When Dutchman Jack Leenars moved to the city, he took it upon himself to see the real streets of Delhi, by cycling through the back lanes in the early hours of the morning. Few people tagged along initially, but it took off and resulted in ‘Delhi by Cycle’ tours. Their website says the tours are all about the street experience – nothing is beautified, hidden, or avoided – complete with hot cups of masala chai on the way.

“Cycles tours are popular worldwide as they give a street experience of the city, and give access to hidden corners, lanes, and markets. Apart from tourists, I get a lot of locals who also want to explore the city they live in,” says Leenaars, a former foreign correspondent.

They have about 60 bikes, but run tours in small groups of eight for a more “personal experience”. They’re not alone in the sentiment. The rickshaw tours take only up to ten people a tour, while Segway tours don’t take over five.

For larger groups, especially those who want a break from typical tourist buses, the HoHo bus service is probably the next best thing. There are no frantic horns by a waiting bus driver and no fear of missing the group either; for Rs 300 a day, people can get off at a stop for as long as they want.

“We modelled the buses on those that ply in European cities like Rome, Paris, and London. They are air-conditioned, low-floor, CNG operated, and have LCD screens and trained guides. Since there is a HOHO every half hour from 8am to 8pm, tourists can hop on and hop off at any stop,” says G G Saxena, managing director, Delhi Tourism.

Once the Games ended, the fleet of 14 buses – with a capacity of 650 adult passengers – naturally lost out on customers, but they are slowly coming back now. “We have started renting out the buses to schools for about Rs 7,000 a day, and also provide snacks. Each bus can accommodate about 50 children,” says Saxena.