New Segway tours offer a unique way for tourists to see Dockyard. The tours started in May of this year and visitors to the Island can be seen riding the yellow and black Segway Human Transporters like ducks in a row around Dockyard.

Robert Territo works in partnership with Makin Waves and is the local distributor of the vehicles in Bermuda. This summer they have started to use the vehicles for historical tours of Dockyard.

Segways have only two wheels and have a maximum speed of about 15 mph. The rider stands upright on the machine and his movements control its direction and speed; to move forward or backward, the rider just leans slightly forward or backward.

To turn, the rider turns the steering grip left or right.

Segway Tours headquarters is actually a yellow double decker bus. Working with The West End Development Corporation (Wedco) Mr. Territo was able to renovate an old double decker bus that had been laid to waste.

The bus used to take people to and from Wyndham Hotel but has not been used since. Segway Tours have converted the vehicle into a classroom, an office and storage for their Segways.

The tour starts inside the bus for a training video and then they practise outside the Frog and Onion Pub. He explained they moved in a single file line. "We're like ducks in a row," said Mr. Territo. While listening to the historical tour on head sets the tour leads people into the Maritime Museum, to Commissioner's House, around the Fort, to the Clock Tower Mall and over to disused Casemates prison.

"It is the first vehicle ever allowed inside the Maritime Museum," said Mr. Territo.

Asked about the response and success of the tours he said: "It's been tremendous. People are going crazy for it. The tourists love it, the cruise ships love it, Bermudians love it. We've had a great response from everyone."

"They like it because it is a new technology. People see it on TV but they never get to try it," he said. The fact that they get to try a new piece of technology whilst having a historical tour in Bermuda was what attracted people, he said.

In this sense he thought it was great for tourism on the Island because tourists get to have the unique experience of the new vehicle in Bermuda.

Mr. Territo explained that because of the tour more people were getting to see the Commissioner's House.

"Often people will see the Maritime Museum, but won't go up to the Commissioner's House," he said, "our tour takes them up there."

In terms of the safety Mr. Territo said it was very safe and of course clients wore helmets.

He noted that the riders received a full training and practice session before the tour started.

He mentioned also that the head sets served as a useful tool, not only for historical commentary but for safety. "If for example there is a car coming I can instruct them through the head sets," he said.

Whilst American, Mr. Territo spent much of his childhood in Bermuda and said he was training Bermudians to work for him. He is currently training 22-year-old, George Hassell as a tour guide.

Mr. Hassell is studying in the US to become a forensic scientist. "He's doing great. He is an amazing, intelligent young man," said Mr. Territo.

Looking to the future Mr. Territo said he was looking into other possible tour locations, but stressed that he would only attempt it in places like Dockyard, which were less populated and had less traffic. "We're never going to do tours in Hamilton," he said.

He also noted that the company did not rent the Segways freely. They can only be ridden as a part of the supervised tour.

The full one and a half hour tour cost $76 and gets you back into the museum for half price. The hour tour, which excludes the museum is $60.