MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A scooter meetup that started with one video sent between friends turned into one of the summer’s biggest local viral moments, pulling hundreds of riders into downtown Minneapolis over back-to-back nights.
Organizer Johan Vargas, 20, said the idea grew almost entirely on its own. He posted about a small meetup Friday night, and within three hours the video had climbed to 50,000 views, with commenters saying they planned to show up the next night. By Saturday, turnout far outpaced what he expected.
Hundreds of people aboard electric scooters and e-bikes took to downtown Minneapolis streets and sidewalks, and onto Interstate 35W, late Saturday night in what’s being called a “scooter takeover.” Vargas told WCCO he’d only expected around 200 riders for Saturday’s meetup, but more than 500 showed up.
For Vargas, the word “takeover” was never meant literally.
“There’s not really regulars, it’s new faces every time because more and more people have FOMO,” Vargas told the Daily Planet, using the term for the fear of missing out. “The ‘takeover’ word is more just to attract attention so people watch or read the flyer. This is not to cause harm, a ruckus or to disobey traffic laws.”
He said he included a disclaimer asking riders to be respectful and follow local laws, and that the appeal of the meetups is rooted in something simpler than the viral numbers suggest, something all humans crave. Community.
“Community to me means everyone and anyone can come together and have fun,” Vargas said. “There’s been so much bad lately, why not find some good here.”
Vargas said all ages turned out, from a 50-year-old woman to a father riding alongside his daughter. He said he hopes the gatherings can grow into a recurring platform that eventually supports small businesses or local charities.
Not everyone shared in the celebration. Highway cameras later captured riders on Interstate 35W, and the Minnesota State Patrol said troopers responded around 11 p.m. after witnesses reported seeing hundreds of Lime scooters on the highway.
State Patrol Lt. Jennifer Krier called it “an extremely dangerous situation,” noting that Lime scooters and other non-motorized devices are prohibited from entering freeways. She said freeways are built for high-speed motor vehicle traffic, leaving scooter riders exposed and drivers with little time to react, and that entering the freeway put riders’ lives, and potentially other motorists’, at risk. Krier also floated geofencing as a possible tool to keep scooters out of restricted areas going forward.
Vargas said he had already left the gathering by the time the highway incident occurred and does not condone it.
“That was past me because I left at like 10 p.m. and then everyone just went their own separate way,” Vargas said. “I don’t support that. I support everyone just being in the city having fun.”
Minneapolis police said in a statement that officers monitored the group and its movements, which were at times reckless and disruptive to traffic, though no one was arrested or cited. A department spokesperson said that if similar activity continues, police will work with city resources and scooter companies to regulate where and how scooters may be operated.
The Minneapolis event has already inspired copycat gatherings elsewhere. A similar scooter and e-bike takeover took place in downtown Seattle the following night, with organizers there citing the Minneapolis event as their inspiration.
The city’s e-scooter riding rules require helmets, yielding to pedestrians and following the same traffic laws as bicyclists, and prohibit riding on sidewalks or in designated no-riding zones downtown, though nobody adheres to most of these guidelines on any given day.
For Vargas, the criticism hasn’t dimmed his plans for future meetups.
“I want people to understand this is a harmless gathering where people can just come and meet new people, create new friendships and make lifelong memories,” Vargas said. “Not everyone will be happy, but we definitely will be.”
Organizers plan additional meetups for the upcoming weekend.
