Spike in scooter searches on Trade Me blamed on Wellington buses

Are buses behind the spike in scooter searches on Trade Me by people living in Wellington? Photo / Mark Mitchell

Wellington's new buses may not be driving locals exactly where they want to go - but they could be driving them to buy a scooter.

The revamped bus network is being blamed for a significant spike in searches for scooters on Trade Me.

The number of searches in the Wellington area is up 56 per cent compared to this time last year, Trade Me spokeswoman Millie Silvester said.

"We reckon the issues with the Wellington buses have been a big factor behind this increase as Wellingtonians seek a cheap and reliable alternative to get to work," she said.

"While they're not ideal in a howling southerly or the famous horizontal rain of the capital they seem to be a better bet than the infamous 'ghost bus'."

Changes to the bus network earlier this year were widely criticised, with routes changing, commuters having to catch more than one bus for trips, and "ghost buses" simply not turning up.

Scooterazzi sales manager Bambi Mitchinson said sales at their store had doubled or even tripled in the wake of the bus fiasco.

"There definitely has been an increase in sales."

Normally the store sold one or two scooters each week on average, but now they were averaging one or two a day.

Some buyers had specifically said they were getting a scooter because of the bus changes.

One man's regular bus no longer went past his house, and didn't come as early as he needed it to so he could get to work on time, so he had no other choice but to seek alternative transport, Mitchinson said.

Silvester said scooters were in hot demand all over the country, with a national 20 per cent increase on searches compared to the same time last year.

"We've seen a whopping 483,000 searches for scooters since August 1," she said.

"Electric scooters have risen in popularity across the country as more Kiwis opt for a cheaper and greener alternative for their daily commute to work."

Since the beginning of August there has been 80,000 searches for e-scooters on Trade Me, up 113 per cent on 2017.

There are currently 600 listings for scooters on the site.