AMSTERDAM — Six years ago Dutchman Ruben Beugels was on an Amsterdam tram that broke down, leaving him stuck in an out-of-the way place, and late for an appointment when he couldn't quickly find another means of transport. “I was very frustrated at being late, and it was then that I thought, hey a scooter would be able to get me to my meeting on time,” said Beugels, founder of Hopper, Europe's first electric taxi scooter service. Amsterdam's 17th Century canals and cobbled streets make driving cars, including taxis, in the center of the city often difficult and time consuming due to unloading trucks, congestion or road blocks, which is one of the reasons so many Amsterdamers prefer to use bicycles within the city center. Dutch public transport, including trams, trains and buses, is generally considered reliable and efficient, but these services, which span out like a fan from the main central train station reaching to the city's edge, aren't available throughout the oldest parts of Amsterdam's city center, which Beugels hopes will become Hopper's new turf. Beugels, who calls the scooters a “new form of public transport,” says they will help bridge the gap between using public transport and getting to your final destination, or that last kilometer, right to the doorstep. The scooters are high-tech, kitted out with navigation and tracking systems by the Dutch firm TomTom and a Samsung smartphone which is locked into the dash and a tablet on the back, which is used for digital advertising. — Reuters
