AKRON, Ohio — That massive pile of broken electric scooters in Akron that News 5 told you about first on Thursday is getting a little bit smaller. That's because of the overwhelming demand for scooters across the country.
We don’t just report the initial story—we follow through to its conclusion. Read and watch our previous reporting on this story below and see more stories that we've followed through on here.
Summit e-Waste said it sold all 100 scooters it had ready to go Friday morning. Now, it's called in all of its employees, plus seasonal workers, to get the job done.
"We had people calling from the news story wanting to buy them for their grandkids. Then we had the younger generation through TikTok who found us, and they want to buy them for themselves," said Ben Baker, owner of Summit e-Waste.
A TikTok of our News 5 story has hundreds of thousands of views. "I actually found them up on TikTok this morning when you posted them. I found them, and I thought it was really cool that they're not wasting them and putting them in the Lake or anything like that or a landfill that will affect our water," said Noelle Witherite, Mentor.
Witherite bought one of the refurbished scooters Friday morning, "my dog really likes it running next to me. She was running, and I was scootering down the road, and she could completely keep up with me at 20 miles per hour, so it was fun that she could go as fast as she wanted to with me."
Witherite is a student at West Virginia University and will use her new scooter to get around campus. Witherite said, "Hopefully not get as many parking tickets with my car."
Summit e-Waste said it received calls and messages from all 50 states and out of the country. It will be shipping scooters to buyers in many locations.
"We're able to put a label on these and we can ship them standard U.S. shipping, anywhere in the U.S.," said Baker.
Each scooter costs $200, if you're interested call 330-800-6657.
"Everybody is a little overwhelmed, but the spirits are high, and I'm keeping everyone motivated, and we're having a good time," said Baker.
Baker only paid $100 for the 8,000 scooters he's now rehabbing with his team.
"It was the best deal I've ever had for sure," said Baker.
Summit e-Waste is hopeful scooter sales will help it buy the current building that it rents.
