Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown has said the recently-released Segway Human Transporter - the new self-balancing, motorised scooter that costs less that five cents a day to operate - could be a possibility for Bermuda.

The contraption, unveiled on Monday, looks like a cross between a pogo stick and an old-fashioned lawn mower and has a range of roughly 17 miles and a top speed of 12 miles per hour.

He said: "It seems to have some promise. Again that's something we'll determine by market forces. If people like it there is no obstruction.

"We give new vehicles a trial period. If technical advisors say it's something they want to pursue we will." Asked for his own opinion he said: "I don't like to put a judgement on it, it tends to affect the outcome. I am wide open to it, if there is sufficient public demand we have no interest in standing in its way." The machine uses a complex array of gyroscopes and computers to mimic the human body's sense of balance. He said the department supported the use of electric vehicles, such as the electric moped being used by environmentalist Stuart Hayward. But he said the electric bikes did not mean plans to ban two-stroke petrol powered bikes in favour of cleaner four-strokes were now becoming obsolete as he pushed ahead with plans to cut engine pollution. He said: "We can approach it from more than one angle." Dr. Brown said laws phasing in the banning of two-stroke mopeds were likely to be brought in during the summer session.