And yes, in Singapore, where you would never expect it!
As the posters around town say 'low crime doesn't mean no crime'.
I did my usual routine, went for lunch and then to the gym at Ngee Ann City, so for a change I parked my Segway right next to the bus stop behind the shopping mall. I usually park it with the bicycles, next to the railings by the truck delivery entrance, but for some unknown reason decided to try something different last Tuesday.
When I came back ... Shock! My Segway was gone! Initially I didn't believe it. I thought perhaps the security from Ngee Ann took it for it would be obstructing something or other. Went to check with them. Nothing!
I actually really stood there for a while, a bit stunned, trying to recall if I was sure that i parked it there. But I was certain.
I even ended up walking all around the block to see if someone moved it. Perhaps a prank. Nothing.
There was one last thing I could think of and that is to call the LTA (Land Transport Authority) in case they thought I was obstructing public property, namely the bus stop, and decided to remove the obstacle. Unfortunately, they also had no news.
There was nothing left to do but call the police and file a report.
What pisses me off the most is that a Segway is not that easy to steal. First of all it's heavy. 50 kg of dead weight. Secondly, without the electronic key you cannot do anything. You can't turn it on, it’s very heavy to drag while turned off due to the electronic mechanism and if you try stepping on it you fall off immediately for the sensors are not activated to keep the balance.
So it's sheer stupidity to try and steal it for there is nothing you can really do with it. Other than totally inconvenience the owner.
Whoever took it must have come with a truck or something, for you would need at least two people to lift it up and put it into a vehicle. Quite gutsy, if you ask me, to do this next to a bus stop that is always full of people.
Given all this, the police said it's likely that someone has been observing me and planned this out. And given that this time I parked by the bus stop, with easy access to the road, I enabled a perfect getaway.
My only consolation is that I can already see the faces of the thieves, as they realize they’ve stolen something useless, for they cannot do anything with it. I hope they feel as pissed as I am for them stealing it!
I'm somewhat still hoping that whatever idiot did this, will decide to abandon my Segway for it’s ultimately of no use to them, and that someone will report an odd looking item sitting in the bush for days.
I can still hope. But as the days go by ... I really think I'm going to have to say goodbye :-(
2,200 km and daily use for more than two years. It's been my companion through rain and shine for a couple of years now.
RIP ... Will miss you!