Yellowknife (Jul 05/06) - As gas prices surge, more Yellowknifers are revving up their scooters.

Harsh winter conditions may have kept some consumers away in the past but interest in the compact vehicles is increasing, said Adrien Saulis, Polar Tech Recreation sales associate.

"We've doubled the number of sales in the last two years," said Saulis. Increased popularity can be attributed to the low price of insurance for the vehicles and the ease of operation, said Saulis.

But gas prices seem to be the kicker for most of the buyers.

"For the price of a coffee and doughnut, you can ride your scooter for a week," he said.

The two models that Polar Tech offers, the Honda Jazz and the Honda Ruckus, have a five litre fuel capacity. They can run on $6.50 worth of fuel for two weeks, said Saulis, adding that interest in scooters is coming from a wide demographic of people.

"We see 16-year-old kids to middle-aged lawyers interested in them." The scooters are priced at $2,924 for the Ruckus and $2,874 for the Jazz.

"A lot of people are surprised by the prices. People expect them to be $4,000 or $5,000," said Saulis.

Mini-scooter owner, Dylan Berlis has enjoyed his scooter since he bought it earlier this year.

"I definitely like it more than a car. It's cheap gas," he said. He usually fills his scooter up once a week at a cost of $5 to $6. As cheap as gas is, Berlis said he will probably put the vehicle in the garage by mid-September.

The number of scooter users seems to be going up according to Direct Charge Co-Op gas bar attendant and cashier, Garrett McLean.

"I"m noticing a lot more people using them this summer," McLean said.

"It's a younger crowd that use them, and they usually stop by once a week to fill up."