This is the caption of the Manila City Hall photo of Mayor Joseph Estrada while trying out one of the vehicles. “SEGWAY CHARIOTS DONATED TO THE CITY OF MANILA. Manila Mayor Joseph E. Estrada enjoys a short ride on the Segway chariot donated to the Manila Police by officials of the Westwood City Ventures & Solutions Inc. A total of 10 vehicles were donated by Westwood yesterday, May 7, at simple rites at Manila City Hall. Looking on is Police Senior Supt. Gilbert Cruz. (CDIS-Tony Cunanan /Ronelle Socao)”
And the photo of the original Segway personal transporter vehicle.
MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / May 8, 2014) – Manila City may not know it and the media also knew nothing when they reported that a private organization donated 10 units of ‘Segway’ personal transporters to the local police force to boost its patrol unit.
Mayor Joseph Estrada was also photographed trying out the Segway that some journalists called ‘scooters’ and ‘chariots,’ and now the Manila Police District and the local government said they would purchase 50 more units.
News articles and other government and police officials also referred to the vehicles as ‘Segway.’
But unknown to Estrada and the police force, and even the media that the so-called scooters or chariots were not manufactured by Segway and it did not even come from the company that introduced the personal transporters because what they were trumpeting are actually a clone – but the glaring difference from the original Segway personal transporter is that the clone has four wheels – two big tires on the front and two smaller wheels at the rear.
The original Segway personal transporter has only two wheels and uses gyroscopic sensors to balance and prevent the rider from falling off. It is now being used by over 1,200 police departments around the world.
When contacted by the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner about the four-wheeled Segway units delivered to the Manila Police District, Segway Philippines said: “The personal transport vehicles being used by the Manila Police District are in fact not Segway PT vehicles. Evident in the photos and videos circulating the media recently, the members of the Manila Police District are using four-wheeled personal transportation vehicles.”
“These are clearly different from actual Segway PTs which only have two wheels and are self-balancing personal transporters. So don’t be fooled by them and keep Simply Moving with Segway Inc.” (Mindanao Examiner)
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