Can you hire scooters in Samoa like in Raro

Last June/July I spent on holiday in Rarotonga and loved it. This year Im looking at going to Samoa to check out somewhere new. One of the things I loved from my holiday in Raro was getting round on a scooter, which everyone did. It was pure freedom.

I was wondering if they are a common means of transport in Samoa too and if so are they cheap to rent.
I have only just this week started checking out info on Samoa, so my knowledge of the island(s) so far is very limited.

Thanks in advance.

There were no scooters for rent in Samoa when we were there last February.
One of the rental companies showed them in their advert but when we rang they said they did have them some years ago but they broke down and they did not get fixed.
Someone did post recently that they managed to hire one but I don't think it was from the usual rental companies.

Scooters for rent come up from time to time in Samoa and they always disappear quickly again. So I would not expect to find that while you are here. Myself, living in Samoa, I haven't seen one for months and I get around a lot on both islands.

They would be completely uncommon anyway, just a gadget for tourists. There hardly are any two-wheeled vehicles in Samoa. The reasons are simple:

Upolu alone, as the smaller island in Samoa, is 20 times larger than Raro ... All around Raro it is a 20m/32km drive, all around Upolu you have 5 times as much (about 100m/160km) to cover, with real mountains to be passed in between, up tp 2000 ft/600 m pass level. On the big island of Savaii the distances are still greater. That is no fun anymore with a scooter, so no locals are using one in the first place.

As scooters and other 2-wheelers are quite uncommon, road conditions are not made convinient for their use. Car drivers are not used to them as well, often pass them to close. Road conditions can be quite rough in between, manageable for a car, but not for a scooter. And some dogs might feel really challenged by a scooter, just like by a passing car. Although you can certainly outrun them on their chase - its not funny.

Beaches and most other tourist attractions are far from town (Apia), on the other side of the island. To far, to steep to go there other than by bus or car,

Last but not least and the main factor why all scooter rentals in Apia, which sprung up from time to time so far, closed again soon: people do not know how to use them, break them - and as they are uncommon, there are no spare parts, no workshops with experience, no proper service easily available.

Especially because of that and of the distances in Samoa I do not expect this to change in the future.

Well, scooters and other two-wheel vehicles (such as Yamaha, Honda) are really quite common in Apia.
Time passes by and you cannot expect Samonans not to keep up with the world.

If you wanna rent a scooter try Discovery rentals (about 100 tala per day), phone 7774728 or 45674
Next rental company, the name of which I do not know, in the same street where Mc Donald's is (on the same side, too)

ITS POSSIBLE TO HIRE A STRONG MOTORBIKE (250-850 ccm) FROM INDIVIDUALS AS WELL. I have contact on two guys who independently hire out motobikes - even cheaper than for a scooter via rental companies. I dont wanna just hand out their phone numbers swiftly in public so contact me through a private message if you desire to know more.

Well, I spent six hours in central Apia yesterday, saw one motorbike, two push bikes and no scooter. So far for 2-wheelers being 'really quite common' in Apia.

Discovery Rentals and the other company (they try to rent out jet skies as well to no avail) are newcomers on the Samoan vehicle rental market and as many other newcomers before they initially include scooters in their fleet. Just that nobody rents them, especially not now in the rainy season.

Those two companies might have around 25 scooters altogether, which are the only ones all over Samoa. No, they are not common at all and, as I said, I would not trust that those rental companies will still offer them later in the year. All others who tried it gave it up again as well after some time. No market for it.

Don't get me wrong - I love scooters! But Samoa is not Raro and this has nothing to do with the modern world. We have them here in Samoa for at least 10 years now already, but never more than just a few of them. They are not really suitable for us.

It's different with real motorbikes. They are strong enough for longer distances and steeper grades. I would not advise to rent them from private persons though even it is cheaper. That looks attractive but usually they (and you) are not insured and if anything happens you would be in deep ....

I spent in Apia overall maybe 8 days. There were days when I saw no scooters on streets a there were more days when I spotted many scooters (driven mostly/only tourists) and strong machines (driven mostly by locals). There is also quite large british community in Apia, some whom have suzuki and honda etc.. I sat with them on the main beach road at a restaurant.

The mentioned Discovery rentals offers only one chinese scooter which I used. Its mobile with some bugs. One of the stands doesnt work, to start the bike out you get to kick it up, etc. For a common use its OK. You may want to contact them yourself if its still available.

Although on my way out of Apia I ran into a couple of tourists that also hired a scooter from a different company. The name escaped me.

We have agreed that scooters are not common in Samoa (NOTE: POLICE OFFICERS DRIVE SCOOTERS AS WELL!) however you may sometimes spot big motorbikes (seen in Lalomanu area, Saleologa in Savai'i and obviously in Apia).
I have driven Suzuki 250ccm in Samoa (see my report on TT Oct 20007) and highly recommend it.

Exactly! I had in mind the image of at least six scooters standing together and I did not recall where that had been. At the Police station, right. They are very handy in Apia - but even uphill to my place, 7 km from central Apia, it's almost too much already as a friend of mine found out - the first person in Samoa having a privately owned scooter I think (in 1998 or so) and she was quite famous for that.

Motorbikes can be great fun in the dry season, I fully agree. Hard to rent though and I would be a bit reluctant to rent from private owners, as I already said before.

The other rental company for scooters could be:

Apia Jet ski, Scooter and Car Rentals Ltd.
Address: Taufusi
Phone: 29444 or 604275
Fax: 32201
Email: apiajetskisscooterandcarrentals@samoa.ws

I saw more than one there.

Re: first person to own a scooter in Samoa!!! I was riding a scooter regularly around the Apia area 1964-65! And it wasn't new when I bought it from a teacher at Avele Agricultural College. I even took it to Savai'i in 1965 and rode from Salelologa to Avao. Sure it was a it bumpy through the Sale'aula lava field and kids threw stones at me and dogs chased me. But even so I wasn't the first in Samoa.
I came across this thread when I looked for hire scooters in Samoa. I'm going back next month for a visit.

in the 60th??? i really wonder what Samoa looked like back then

If you're still around, I've posted some photos of Apia and other places. Most of them are 1964-65 and they predate the reclamation and new wharf. Enjoy views of Apia in the 60s! http://www.cdlaw.co.nz/samoa

Edited by: coldot

"kids threw stones at me and dogs chased me...."

Nice to see that some things never change!

Beautiful photos, thanks a lot. I especially love that Beach Road photo taken from the roof of the former Bank of Western Samoa building (before it burnt down). The first time I came to Samoa was in 1982 and the Reclaimed Area was already there. I never realized that originally the clock tower stood right at the waterfront.

I'm pleased to hear that the photos were appreciated! That one of the PO, clock etc was from the church tower not the Bank roof. You can just see the edge of the Bank roof below. I didn't know it was burnt down. I'll have to go elsewhere for my supply of Tala! July 1964 to December 1965 I lived with a family behind the Church and Bookshop so I was very familiar with that area. McKenzie's shop was next to the Bookshop and next was Emilio Fabricius' store where we used to get sticky coconut buns.

The old Post Office and the Bank of Western Samoa burnt down before Christmas 1982 or 1983. You will not have to search today though as both have been rebuilt. They only switched the sides of the road. So the Post Office is now where the bank had been and the ANZ bank is on the opposite side, towards the Chan Mow Supermarket. Church and bookshop are still there, McKenzie's is gone (another bank now) and Fabricius' store just closed, as far as I can see. They still sold those buns.

Hi There,

My name is Ian I am an off-road motorbike journalist in Australia. I am coming to Samoa in a few weeks and would like to hire a dirt bike to do a ride. Can anyone put me in contact with someone who can hire me one?

You can hire scooters but they are not popular. Samoa is about three time the siza of raro with petrol stations located in town and some small villages so it's always better to hire a car u wouldn't want to get stuck in the middle of no we're. Best thing to do is visit http://www.samoatourism.ws/ or ask at the hotels most accommodation in Samoa have cars and scooters for rent but take it from me hire a car it's safer.