'Pioneer' commuters turn on the electricity

An electric bus that reads, 'zero emissions'[Photo/Agencies]

Electric scooters help riders escape Mexico City's gridlock, while reducing air pollution.

Martin Vazquez glides silently through the pandemonium of rush hour in Mexico City, drives his sky-blue scooter up to a charging station and plugs it in.

When Vazquez, a 28-year-old professional, moved to the Mexican capital a year ago, he drove here by car. But the city's notorious traffic soon convinced him to sell it and look for ways to cut through the gridlock.

He tried cycling to work, but eventually settled on the sky-blue electric scooters rented out by the half-hour by a company called Econduce.

"It's the easiest, fastest way for me to get around," says Vazquez.

"I have to go to work in a shirt and tie. When I biked, I would show up all sweaty. On a scooter, you just sit and accelerate. It's like a car, but with the size and ease of a bike."

Electric vehicles are gaining a foothold in this sprawling megacity of 21 million people and 5.5 million cars.

Many early adapters of the technology are, like Vazquez, seeking a less painful commute.

But as an added bonus, these vehicles are not adding to the polluting emissions spewed by fuel-powered vehicles－which have surged back into the headlines just as the city was starting to shed its smog-choked image.

Authorities declared an air pollution alert in Mexico City last month－the first in more than a decade－and have imposed strict limits on car use.

The temporary measures take 20 percent of the city's cars off the road each day.

On April 6, the smog was so bad officials doubled the restriction, ordering 40 percent of cars off the road－as well as, for the first time, 40 percent of motorcycles.

The ban caused chaos on the overstretched public transportation system.

Bike sharing

But it was a boon for Eduardo Porta, the entrepreneur behind the Econduce scooters, who says his clients increased by 50 percent.

The 33-year-old industrial engineer launched the company last year, modeling the service on bike-sharing programs in cities like Paris, Berlin, New York and, since 2010, Mexico City itself.

The company has a network of charging stations throughout the city, enabling users to pick up a scooter near home and drop it off near work.