Is a hoverboard-like scooter your transportation mode of choice?

Is a hoverboard-like scooter your transportation mode of choice?

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

On a recent walk to work, a weird thing whizzed by. It looked like a regular kid scooter but fancied up with a motor and, impressively, a seat. It carried a woman, a child in her lap, and a book bag.

A quick online search for "electric sit scooter," turned up a few commercial options that seemed similar. Maybe this woman bought her means of transportation — or maybe she rigged it, or got it rigged. Either way, the efficiency of this presumable commute to school was inspiring.

City commuters around the world face different and sometimes unique hurdles, like paralyzing traffic, washed-out roads or unreliable (non-existent?) public transit to name a few. For many, driving (and sometimes even biking) are not an option for a variety of reasons.

Our friends over at the NPR Cities Project have been exploring the theme of urban transportation in a recent series. And from this techie, geeky corner, we at All Tech are wondering: What cool, alternative ways of getting around the cities are out there?

Show us with your photos: snap pictures of how you, or people around you, get places using means of transportation that are DYI, retrofitted, techie, geeky or just nifty and impressive. Share them with us on Twitter or Instagram by tagging them #NoCarForMe or email us at tech@npr.org.

We will feature some of the wackiest, most-creative commutes on All Tech Considered.

To kick things off, here is Matthew Schwartz from Washington, D.C., testing his new Onewheel hoverboard (which is one of the many Segway-meets-skateboard scooters we've started seeing around):

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Share Your Story

What unconventional means of transportation are around you? Share with us by posting a photo on Twitter or Instagram, with a tag #nocarforme and #NPRcities. Or reach us at tech@npr.org. We'll feature some of the coolest, weirdest findings on All Tech Considered.

Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

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