Sewickley couple launches new street-legal golf cart business in Leet

Quaker Valley area residents may soon see new vehicles driving along their neighborhood roads.

They are not the latest Fords, Subarus or Porches, but street-legal golf carts from a recently opened business in Leet.

Village Buggy, an all-electric vehicle seller, was founded by Sewickley couple Matthew and Jena Simmons.

They formally opened the doors to their business at 620 Ambridge Ave. earlier this month.

The business’ name is a nod to the borough’s Village section, and a Pittsburghese reference to the carts.

Matthew Simmons, a real estate investor, said they were inspired to start the company after seeing people cruising around in golf carts in Florida and other southern states.

“We kind of fell in love with that idea and thought Sewickley would be the perfect community for golf carts because it’s flat (and) it’s walkable,” he said. “A lot of people live close by, and so we thought we’re going to get one for ourselves and started looking into the laws.

“We saw that it’s perfectly legal and we said, ‘If we’re going to get one for ourselves, we might as well sell them. Because we know a bunch of other people are going to want them.’”

Matthew Simmons obtained a seller’s license and already taken more than 20 orders.

“I think once people start seeing them on the road in the Village, a lot more people will step forward,” he said. “This was born out of a love for Sewickley. We believe that the carts will make a fun addition to the Village. They are environmentally friendly. They are easy to park. They are fun to drive. We see it as being a plus.”

Typical golf carts can roll up to 15 mph and are not required to have as many safety features as those ready for the roads.

Simmons said street carts are classified as neighborhood electric vehicles and can go 25 mph.

They also come with VIN numbers like other automobiles, headlights, taillights, seat belts, windshields, turn signals and more. Carts are available with two to six seats.

Sizes range from 4 to 6 feet wide, and 10 to 14 feet long.

Prices range from $9,000 to $14,500.

Village Buggy carts are manufactured by Epic and Icon, which was named 2023 best overall golf cart brand and street legal low-speed vehicle by Golf Cart Resource.

Simmons then provides a one-on-one consultation for further customization.

Carts are delivered to the township shop for a safety inspection and assembly completion before being sent to Fasmo Automotive in Ambridge for state inspection.

The sale is then finalized and vehicle documents are notarized at a local notary. Village Buggy does not handle insurance.

Simmons assured buyers his carts can be plugged into a home outlet. No EV charging stations are necessary.

Carts can travel between 25-30 miles on a full charge. It takes four to eight hours to charge the battery depending on usage.

Village Buggy’s hours of operation are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, visits to the showroom are by appointment only.

Vinny Garofalo, owner of B&J Golf Carts along Camp Horne Road, visited Village Buggy to talk shop with Simmons on March 18.

B&J has the carts one might see on a golf course or a long driveway and not on the streets.

Garofalo, who has been in the cart business since 2019, said he was impressed and excited about what he saw.

“Beautiful looking carts,” he said. “I can tell just by looking at the response online and the people on the news, everybody’s very excited about the carts coming to Sewickley. … It’s good to see the business is starting to boom a little bit more.

“In (Pennsylvania) a lot of people think of golf carts six months out of the year. Now, you can get covers for these and drive them in the winter.

”… It really makes it to where it’s going to be more accessible for people to get around without having to use their own vehicle, and it’s going to put a smile on a lot of people’s faces while they are driving down the road.”

Those interested in Village Buggy can call 412-799-8070 or email info@villagebuggy.com.