My wife and I will be traveling to Bermuda in October. The last time she was in Bermuda, she and her friend rented scooters and used them as their primary/sole transportation, and they had a blast. But that’s when she was 25, and we’re both a lot older than that now (mid 50’s). Is renting a scooter as your primary transportation really feasible & safe? My main concern is the trifecta of never having used a scooter before, driving on the left, and driving at night. Personally I’d rather just rent them for one day to tool around during daylight hours, but she’s really got her heart set on using them the whole trip. Thoughts?
Sure, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who’s never ridden a scooter or motorcycle before, or hasn’t in decades. My wife and I often rent scooters as our primary form of transportation (She’s in her early 50s, I’m in my late 40s) but we are both very experienced motorcyclists. Riding at night I wouldn’t recommend unless the majority of the population are also riding scooters, due to being less visible. Driving on the left was never an issue, your seating position on a scooter or motorcycle is the same regardless, and the road signage, flow of traffic, and lane markings put you in the right place. At least that has been my experience riding scooters in Thailand which has left-hand drive.
How much drinking do you two intend to do? More than zero → skip the scooter.
I’ve ridden motorcycles pretty much all my life. My Wife, not at all.
Once, in Cozumel, my wife decided she wanted to do this. Ooookaaay… They gave us construction hard hats for helmets 
My Wife and I did it on our own.
We circled the island. Had great fun. It is now referred to as the ‘Tequila Tour’
No direct experience, but my parents went on their honeymoon to Bermuda 66 years ago and my Dad still complains to my Mom that she drove those scooters like a maniac. Just came here to comment that. 
How is the crime against scooters in Bermuda? When we rented a scooter in Cozumel for a few days, someone stole the gas cap and took all the gas when we had it parked in front of the hotel overnight. It probably would have been better for us to rent one for only the specific times we wanted to use it. Luckily, we didn’t have to deal with the scooter being stolen or more parts taken.
The roads are pretty narrow and there is a lot of cars jockeying around the scooters. It did not look like something I wanted to do.
Scooter in Bermuder really needs to be a country song.
More like Jimmy Buffett. Unfortunately I have some bad news…
You can rent a scooter at the airport, so apparently a fair number of people do this (for anyone who doesn’t know, rental cars aren’t allowed in Bermuda). You don’t even need a driver’s license, but you do need to be at least 18. Make of that what you will.
Most of the roads are quite narrow. Be cautious on the many roundabouts and steep hills. Take a pass if there are high winds or if the roads are slippery from rain.
Personally I found the bus and ferry system quite adequate for my needs. But I tend to leave the driving in other countries up to people who are familiar the roads and rules there.
Let her have her fun. It’s vacation. If it seems like it’s not working out, turn them back in.
We were there earlier this year and felt the same way. There was a little confusion regarding which bus lines went along which coastline, but once we got that sorted they were pretty frequent and easy to use.
We did also see a decent number of folks using scooters, but with kids that wasn’t really a choice for us.
The schedule looks like the buses run every half hour on each line, was that your experience, or were they more frequent?
BTW, the island also rents tiny electric cars, but that just makes me think of Arnold and Bruce.
That’s about right. You definitely had to plan your journeys a bit more than if you were on a scooter. On vacation I didn’t really sweat the half-hour requirement. A 15-minute wait at a bus stop wasn’t the worst thing.
Many of the routes have multiple lines that will work depending on your destination. Route 10 and 11, for example, will take you from Hamilton to St George’s, just along a slightly different route. Both also stop at the Aqauarium, IIRC. So effectively the interval might be more like 15 minutes, depending on the route and time of day. Crystal Caves is also served by multiple lines.
We very rarely had any issue getting where we needed to using the public transportation with just a little bit of planning ahead. The only time was when we took the wrong bus from the dockyard towards Hamilton. Route 7 goes along the South Shore (including Horseshoe Bay) while Route 8 takes the Middle Road through more communities but not near the beaches - we had to get off once we realized our mistake and take a Route 7 bus backtracking a bit. But if you were going all the way to Hamilton it doesn’t really matter which one you take.
Personally I always feel like taking public transportation (provided it’s safe and clean) gives a nice feel of a place compared to renting a car or (even worse) using a tour bus. But YMMV.
Ok thank you. Our hotel is on Route 7, so it might be difficult to plan things around a single bus line, at least getting to/from the hotel.
They have taxis, too, and they’re pretty easy to get at a hotel. Just be warned they aren’t cheap, and plan to have some cash on you to pay. I took one to and from the airport since I had luggage to schlep.
I’ve rented scooters in Greece and Cuba, when I was young and foolish. I survived, but in hindsight, I think I was rather reckless. I wouldn’t do it now.
But I can see you can rent electric ‘micro’ cars - that could be an option.
Quick update. This was a terrible idea that lasted about 90 seconds and ended in minor road rash and what’s hopefully only some bruising on my chest. Full story after we return.
Bummer, glad you’re ok. It could have been much worse.
I guess the fact that you aren’t proficient on a two wheeled motor vehicle should have been more of a serious a consideration… Hope the rest of your vacation goes more smoothly.