Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck's Roman Holiday on Vespa would end in tears today? Electric scooters shock coming
Had Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck hopped on an electric scooter rather than a Vespa in the classic film "Roman Holiday", their spin around the Eternal City might have ended in tears.
The number of crashes and near-misses involving the two-wheelers has prompted Rome authorities to impose some order on a booming rental market that began two years ago.
The havoc came to a head earlier this month when two US tourists attempted a night-time drive down the Spanish Steps, causing over 25,000 euros ($26,300) worth of damage to the 18th century monument.
Caught on security footage, the couple in their late 20s were fined 400 euros each.
For now, it's remarkably easy -- requiring just a cell phone app -- to hire one of the 14,500 scooters currently available in Rome, provided by seven licensed companies.
They're cheap too, costing just one euro to unlock the scooters and between 15 to 25 cents a minute after that.
Watch the Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck starrer Roman Holiday trailer below:
And in the city known for its traffic jams and limited public transport, they appeal to everyone from commuters to tourists and teenagers, who often squeeze two at a time onto the narrow deck.
But there are challenges to navigating the cobbled streets of Rome's cramped historic centre -- where bike paths are virtually non-existent -- leading some scooter drivers to weave dangerously around cars.
"They cut you off. They pass on the right, on the left, they get stuck in front of us and risk being crushed," said Paolo Facioni, a 59-year-old bus driver.
Residents also complain they are dumped haphazardly on narrow sidewalks, blocking access for prams and wheelchair users.
Rented electric scooters have become a fixture in major cities around the world, from
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