If you are going to be in Roatan on vacation, you may be considering renting a scooter. If you’re staying on the beach in West Bay or in West End, you probably do not need or want one – unless you plan on doing a lot of travel outside these areas. If you are then you should carefully consider if you really want to rent a scooter or not… after reading the discussion here.
If you think it would be fun to rent a scooter and cruise around the island at 5–10 MPH, then you really need to re-evaluate that thought. There is one main road to get most destinations on the island. If you are going to be on that road, you need to be prepared and capable to drive at traffic speeds (30-40 MPH) or there is a very high probability you with either be in accident or the cause of one.
As I indicated in the section on renting cars, road conditions, especially on the west side of the island where most of the tourist destinations are, are fairly bad. The east side is a lot better and most of my concerns here do not apply there. However on the west side, the main road is literally littered with huge pot holes (think moonscape). This makes driving “interesting” in a couple ways. First, you want to try to avoid the large pot holes unless you want to die. Seriously, you will hit one of the bigger ones at any speed on a scooter and you will probably be going to a Roatan hospital. Second, to avoid these pot holes, you and the other drivers will all be swerving on both sides of the road to try and avoid the holes. Given the main road is about 2 – 2.5 cars wide, this means a whole lot of the time you or the car coming the other way at you are going to be going head on with each other at 30-40 MPH. While this is not high speed, it is still dangerous, much more so for you on a scooter than the car.
I would strongly consider NOT renting a scooter if you are on Roatan as a tourist, but it’s your decision. If you decide to do it, make sure you have good travel insurance that covers riding the scooter.
If you don’t want to head my warning, try reading Amanda Walkins story about her pothole experience.
Driving is even more dangerous after dark. I have said this before in other areas, but when it is dark, it is very dark on Roatan. There are not street lights… but there are still pot holes. They are just harder to see after dark. Several of the cab drivers I met told me they refuse to drive on the west side at night. There is no way I would ever drive a scooter after dark down the roads on the west side of the island. And it is not a great idea on the east side for other reasons…
The above said, many locals use scooters for basic transportation. Scooters are a cheap option for people living on Roatan needing to get around while carrying minimal items. Scooters are more convenient than public transportation. If I were to move to Roatan, I might consider a scooter after getting to know the roads better.
Where / How to Rent & Rental Costs
Scooters can be rented at several places on the island. I saw them at Captain Van’s in West Bay.