TACOMA, Wash. — "Tacoma Couch Guy" has been making the rounds on social media lately because he’s been spotted making the rounds in his neighborhood on a motorized couch.
The man behind the commuter couch is Tacoma resident Kass Hodorowski. Hodorowski said the project was just a fun idea to make use of some old electric bike batteries a friend gave him years ago.
“I was trying to figure out what I could use the batteries for and then I saw a listing online for a free mobility scooter that didn’t have the battery,” he said.
Kass got a free, used couch online and assembled the idea with recycled materials.
“I think I only paid for some wire and the rest is free or recycled,” Hodorowski said.
The motorized couch is certainly a conversation starter, as Hodorowski can be seen rolling down local sidewalks at a blistering top speed of 4 miles per hour.
“People always say ‘That’s one way to beat gas prices,’ but it’s terribly limited and has a range of 10 miles,” Hodorowski quipped.
Hodorowski admits the idea was just for fun, and said even his close friends were skeptical.
“For the absolute absurdity of it, I just thought it would be funny to ride around on a couch," he said. “My fiend asked me why I would do that and I told him I knew he would want to ride on it and he said, ‘of course I’m gonna want to ride on it.’”
The test rides caused plenty of commotion in the neighborhood, and Tacoma Couch Guy decided is was time to brand himself and make a website.
Hodorowski said after a few years of limited social interactions, a motorized couch is just silly enough to bring a smile to peoples faces.
“Many people want to take pictures or video and I do give rides to people, but I’m not taking orders and building them,” laughed Kass.
His motorized couch is often spotted rolling to his favorite watering hole on Monday nights. The Park Way Tavern is a few miles away from where Hodorowski lives, but he says when the weather holds he’s rolling to the tavern.
To follow the wheeling sofa, you can visit his website featuring the story and photos. There’s also a link for “some serious observations” where Kass said his exploration has revealed the poor conditions of many local sidewalks.
He’s advocating for better accessibility and said he often encounters sidewalks where someone in a wheel chair would simply be unable to pass.
He encourages anyone who spots him to share photos with the hashtag #TacomaCouchGuy.