Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
TWO WHEELS GOOD FOR GOING TO WORK
Biking in the UK could be set for a boom, with a huge leap in interest for motorbikes, scooters and mopeds. The surge, which comes after the Government made wearing face coverings mandatory on all public transport, saw moped enquiries increase by 219% over the same week last year, and scooter enquiries by more than 180%.
Boris Johnson has urged anyone who can’t work from home to avoid public transport as much as possible, leading to people seeking out different ways of getting around, particularly for commuting.
The increase in searches on Auto Trader comes after I wrote in this column how MCIA, the UK’S Motorcycle Industry Association, was furious with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps for pledging £2billion for cyclists and walkers, but not even mentioning motorcycles and scooters in his vision for the future of commuting until a magic bullet is found for Covid-19.
Responding to the Auto Trader news MCIA’S Nick Broomhall said: “The feedback from the trade supports this, with almost all dealerships and service centres reporting a sharp hike in business.”
Although the leap was in those looking at scooter and moped advertisements on Auto Trader, there was also a healthy rise of 32% in motorbike enquiries.
Rideto, the UK’S No 1 platform for motorcycle training, has seen demand for Compulsory Basic Training courses double from this time last year.
The most searched for motorbikes, mopeds and scooters on Auto Trader are: