Shahd Alhamdan

A Segway tour in Downtown Dubai would be a smart solution if you were looking to explore new options. But it costs AED 150 for a thirty-minute ride. Segway is a self-balancing personal transportation device available in various colours that runs on a pair of wheels. Saudi Gazette spoke with Steven A. Brown-Cestero, the CEO of Vesta Group (parent company of Segway Middle East), to know more about the Segway. According to Brown-Cestero, Segway started in the Bedford, New Hampshire, USA in 2003. After that another office was established in January 2005 since the Emirates was a perfect choice with an established infrastructure and ease of connectivity to every country in the region. Segway has had to shut down its operations in a few countries facing political instability, such as Egypt. 



“We are in many of the countries in the region already but we are always looking to expand. We still do Segway in Egypt but no longer have a full time office there and, instead, have a contract employee who supports us,” he added.  “All of our customers love the Segway and many own multiple units. The only negative feedback we ever get is related to cost” Brown-Cestero. Each time a customer rides Segway, they wear Segway smile. Dean Kamen, the founder of the company, developed the Segway as a follow-on product to the i-bot, a medical device he developed to help those who are forced to use a wheelchair.



“The Segway has both gyroscopes and balance sensors in its platform. The gyroscopes measure the position of the Segway platform hundred times a second and ensure that it always stays on ground level while the tilt sensors measure the vertical position of the rider and ensures that the Segway platform always remains under the rider’s feet.” he added. He explained that there is no true meaning to the word Segway but it could be a play on the word ‘segue’ which means a transition from one thing to the other (the rider is transitioning from walking to gliding).