Oppurtunity

I believe there is an opportunity in college campuses for separate lanes or roads specifically for scooters, golf carts, and other two-wheeled vehicles that go throughout campus. With a campus like UF where scooters are so common, mostly for students, I think the campus should be designed to accommodate this. Having scooters on the road with cars is not only dangerous but also causes a lot of unnecessary traffic at class times and during the school day in general. This need has always been present for me ever since I got a scooter a year ago. I could leave for a class that was less than a mile away 20 minutes early and still barely make it on time. I think this need really applies to anyone who is using a vehicle to travel in or around campus. It affects car drivers just as well as scooter riders. The only thing people are doing to meet the need right now is cutting around cars or using bike lanes when they are in a rush, which can be so dangerous. I’m at least 80% sure that this opportunity exists and I’m very passionate in that I think this campus and other similar ones would benefit from separate scooter paths.

I spoke to three prototypical customers to discuss this opportunity:

1.     Twenty-year-old, third-year UF student who has owned a scooter since beginning school in Freshman year. She believed there was a huge opportunity, claiming she “uses her scooter every day, and multiple times a day during the week.” She commented that she talks to her friends all the time about how crazy the traffic can get and is astounded that something like this hasn’t at least been started at UF. She would be in full support of it if the opportunity came.

2.     Local Gainesville Resident, 42. She lives near the school but not on campus and she was indifferent about the issue of not getting to class on time, but was incredibly passionate about the question of safety. She said she hates driving near campus now because she always has to keep checking to make sure scooters aren’t in her blind spots. She said she’s never ridden a scooter or motorcycle and doesn’t plan to, but would still like to see less scooters on the road.

3.     UF Senior who was in a scooter accident less than a year ago. He thinks it would be a good idea in prospect, but does not think UF would undergo such a big project and that it would have a lot of trouble getting approved. He said that the danger in riding a scooter is something you have to be aware of when you get it. “It’s not like driving a car, you have to think differently and be way more aware of things since cars don’t always see you.”

I was surprised to see that the majority of each of the three people I interviewed’s answers revolve around safety, versus convenience and time-saving. I have never been in a scooter accident myself, nor have any of my close friends, so I guess the idea of safety was in the back of my mind but when I consider the benefits of separating cars and scooters, I think they well outweigh the consequences of having a huge project going on at UF. I was also surprised to hear how much scooters deter car drivers as well. I have my car on campus, but I try not to use it on campus and just use it if I need to go somewhere else around the city, so I forget there are people who have just a car and need to look out for students in a rush and trying to cut corners.

I would say my interviews reinforced my view on this opportunity. Scooters affect everyone on the road, regardless of what people drive and getting them off the road helps so much more than just getting to class on time. I think entrepreneurs need to adapt to what their customers want, but to a certain extent. I was so focused on getting to class on time that I didn’t even think of the safety aspect, and had I tried to market this idea, I would have been emphasizing the wrong points, assuming the target market is reflected in those I interviewed. After all, it’s the customers that are buying/using your product, so you have to do what they want while still maintaining the foundation of the original idea.