'The people's bike' arrives in EL

South Africa's answer to rising petrol prices, the Vuka Scuta, zoomed into East London last week, giving local commuters a new way of travelling to work.

Although the scooter concept is new to East London, it has already taken other parts of the country by storm, with a total of 103 outlets opened since the first Vuka Scuta was sold in June 2005.

According to brand manager Esm' Brink, the Vuka Scuta gives commuters an option between paying the average monthly public transport fare of R200, or making a loan repayment of R199 for a brand new scooter.

Vuka Scuta cash prices start at R5000.

"There is huge potential in this market for people to own their own transport ... We provide quality at an affordable price with sufficient (service) back-up.

"Driving a Vuka is also environmentally friendly. We have a national sales and service network and an awesome warranty period," said Brink.

All the scooter parts are sourced from China and assembled in plants in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

High interest rates and rocketing car prices have become a deterrent for many aspiring car owners, meaning mobility remains a pipe dream even with cheap car models from the East.

"Cheap Chinese imports still leave millions of people unable to afford cars. Our brand's philosophy is to make transport available to those without their own transport," said managing director Tinus Lamprecht.

These stylish motorbikes could also mean that unreliable public transport, high petrol costs and traffic jams could become a thing of the past. According to Lamprecht, the success of the brand since it started in 2005 has been phenomenal, and sales have grown exponentially.

"We started with sales of 26 scooters per month two years ago, now we sell 800 per month. By the end of the year, we aim to have a sales figure of 2000 per month," said Lamprecht.

Lamprecht said the expansion process is being driven by their strategy of bringing the product closer to the people by opening more outlets. There are about 15 outlets in the pipeline before the end of this year, including one for Soweto.

The company says it is looking for other dealership opportunities in the Eastern Cape to augment its Devereux Avenue-based and Port Elizabeth outlets.

Article via I-Net-Bridge