Special Report: Scooters Swiped

With gas prices pumped up and parking at a premium, just how hot are scooters and mopeds right now?

Diodor Mayen, Vespa Boston General Manager
"Probably the hula-hoops of the new century."

One store we visited ran out of them recently.

People love them. The state say it's issued more than 4,200 moped and scooter registrations in the Bay State so far this year. That's up from 3,600 for all of 2007.

Scooter owner
"It's a great way to get around. It's fast and it saves money."

Not only are these bikes fun and economical, they're a little bit on the pricey side. Some of the nicer models start at $4,000. And, they're pretty light weight, which means they can be easily stolen.

If yours gets ripped off, you may never see it again. Even if cops suspect a thief is riding around on your scooter, they can't prove it because the registry isn't sharing information on who the rightful owners are.

Jonathan Hall, 7News
"Is the registry letting people down?"

Officer Tom Shea, Brookline Police
"Absolutely."

Here's how. Owners of low powered mopeds and scooters, those with 50cc engines or less, don't have to get license plates or insurance. But, they do have to pay $40 to the registry to get an inspection sticker that's good for two years. The registry collects your cash, but doesn't put ownership information on the database available to police.

Officer Tom Shea, Brookline Police
"If they treated scooters the way they treat motor vehicles in Massachusetts, this issue would... it wouldn't be as great as it is. These scooters are being stolen constantly."

If you're lucky, an officer will go the extra mile to find an owner. Vehicle Identification numbers, or VINs, are often kept on file at scooter dealers.

Diodor Mayen, Vespa Boston General Manager
"When the police station gives me a call we're able to run their VIN through our system and the police then notify the customer."

The registry admits it has a big problem with these little scooters. And soon, owners may need to get license plates for them.

Rachel Kaprelian, Registrar of Motor Vehicles
"We should be more comprehensive about what vehicles are on the road. We may see a different registration process for some of these vehicles."

Officials say scooter operators are supposed to carry their registration certificate with them to prove ownership.

Scooter owner
"I carry it in my glove compartment."

But not everyone remembers to do that. The registrar says scooter owners are getting their money's worth, even though their information isn't in the database.

Rachel Kaprelian, Registrar of Motor Vehicles
"The $40 is a fee for inspection and that is an important function for the registry and for them."

The Registrar of Motor Vehicles says she sees a larger problem here: safety.  We found scooters with no license places weaving in and out of traffic in Boston.  But RMV regulations state, "Individuals may not operate scooters at speeds greater than 20 mph."  And they "must keep to the right side of the roadway at all times." 

The Registry has a special task force investigating these issues to determine how laws and the Registry's own rules should be changed.