Police pull over two men riding an electric couch down the street

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Electric scooters have carried just about everything at this point, from commuters and tourists to groceries and probably more than a few ill-advised passengers. But two riders in Charlotte, North Carolina, may have just raised the bar after police stopped them cruising down the street on an actual couch apparently powered by a pair of Lime electric scooters.

Officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department encountered the unusual contraption traveling down South Tryon Street, according to a recent post shared by the department.

“Well, this was certainly a first,” police wrote. “Our EDU Officers encountered quite the situation this weekend when they stopped two gentlemen traveling down S. Tryon Street on a couch… Yes, an actual couch.”

From the photo, the setup appears to consist of a full-size sofa perched across two Lime shared electric scooters. Exactly how the scooters were attached – or how steering was accomplished – isn’t clear. But judging by the fact that the riders apparently made it far enough to attract police attention, the system seems to have worked at least reasonably well with some coordinated efforts by the dual pilots.

And frankly, as someone who has famously seen and operated plenty of bizarre electric vehicles over the years, I have to give some points for creativity here.

Police seemed to feel similarly, though they were understandably less enthusiastic about the safety implications of piloting living-room furniture down a public street.

“While we appreciate the creativity, we do have to remind everyone: no matter what you’re ‘driving’ (using that term extremely loosely), please think about safety first,” the department wrote.

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If I was a college kid who bought a couch and needed to move it from one apt to another, this is an excellent alternative to carrying it.

Police also joked that it was “probably best to leave the mobile furniture displays to IKEA.”

It isn’t clear whether either rider was cited or arrested, and police didn’t publicly identify the pair.

But while a two-scooter electric couch probably isn’t the micromobility revolution cities had in mind, you’ve got to admit: door-to-door transportation doesn’t get much more comfortable than this.

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The e-bikes that make up Micah’s current daily drivers are the $999 Lectric XP 2.0, the $1,095 Ride1Up Roadster V2, the $1,199 Rad Power Bikes RadMission, and the $3,299 Priority Current. But it’s a pretty evolving list these days.

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