The invention of the mobility scooter
Witness History
BBC
4.5 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 6 March 2026
⏱️ 11 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 1967, American plumber Al Thieme promised his wife with multiple sclerosis that he would find her an alternative to a wheelchair.
He came up with a battery-powered seat on wheels.
He called it an ‘amigo’ and soon other people wanted one too. In 1968, he started selling his vehicles around the world.
He speaks to Rachel Naylor.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.
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(Photo: Al Thieme with an early model. Credit: Amigo Mobility International)
Transcript
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| 1:03.3 | For the amazing story I've got for you today, I'm taking you back to 1960s America and the invention |
| 1:08.4 | of the mobility scooter, a battery powered vehicle designed for people with mobility impairments. |
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