Average age of Turkish e-scooter riders is 27

The average age of people using e-scooters in Turkey is 27, with the number of riders growing by the day, Kadir Can Abdik, the CEO of BinBin Scooters, has said.

"From 17 to 65, people [of all ages] ride e-scooters. The average age is 27 because it is a very new business sector," Abdik of BinBin, one of the 12 companies operating in Istanbul, told state-run Anadolu Agency on Nov. 22.

The "Segway" model was the first e-scooter in the world and was brought to the global market in 2001. But their high prices made it take 16 years for e-scooters to enter the U.S. market in 2017.

"E-scooter companies have been active in Turkey for two-and-a-half years," Abdik said.

The vehicle was first used on university campuses. "However, the pandemic changed everything. We started business in the Fatih and Üskidar districts and Istanbul Airport," he added.

As people preferred not to use public transport due to the pandemic, the interest for e-scooters skyrocketed.

Now apart from Istanbul, people can access an e-scooter in six more provinces, İzmir, Konya, Eskişehir, Kayseri, Antalya and Samsun.

Turkish people are also preferring e-scooters because they want to get to places quicker.

A vehicle in Germany travels 26 kilometers a day on average, said Abdik. "In Turkey, this number is 12. So, people started using e-scooters as a means of transportation."

Many institutions started allowing their workers to ride e-scooters, with the PTT, national post and telegraph directorate of the country taking the lead.

"I used to work to deliver posts. For four months I've been riding e-scooters. Firstly, I save time. Secondly, e-scooters are environmentally friendly," said Ender Sakal, a mail carrier.

"Without spending...