An Amish man has started an “Amish Uber” with a horse and carriage.
Uber is a popular ride-sharing platform that lets users summon drivers to take them places.
Timothy Hochstedler is the Amish man who lives in Colon, Michigan and started giving people rides in his horse and buggy.
“Uber is a cool thing, every single year something new comes in and Uber is hot right now, so we have the Amish Uber. We can deliver people to their front doorsteps,” he told WWMT.
He charges just $5 a ride, no matter the distance or time. While Uber users use their cell phones to summon rides, though, people who want to use the “Amish Uber” must flag down Hochstedler as he’s driving by.
Riders told the broadcaster that his riders enjoy themselves, taking in the scenery while getting to their destinations.
“It was fascinating. It’s not an activity you typically associate with the Amish,” said Bruce Jordan, who rode with his grandchildren.
“I don’t think there’s Uber down here, so it’s pretty cool. It gives people that option that can’t drive or don’t want to drive or shouldn’t drive,” added Becky Phelps, another Amish Uber rider.
Hochstedler said that his horse is well-fitted to the new job.
“He loves people. He’s a Morgan. A Morgan is a people’s horse. They love giving you a kiss or whatever,” he said.
The Amish man also noted that while most of his riders aren’t from Colon, some are.
“Most of them aren’t from Colon, but the Colon people have given me a few options like: Would you give me a ride to Curly’s? Would you go to my house? and, Yeah I’d do that,” he said.
The “Amish Uber” isn’t officially affiliated with the company and Uber hasn’t commented on the phenomenon.
According to Colon’s website, the community, which numbers around 1,200 people, is the “magic capital of the world.”
“Very few people in Michigan know it, but the town of Colon, down near the Indiana border, has become famous all over the world as the ‘Home of Hocus Pocus’ where equipment and articles for magicians are manufactured for sale all over the universe, to amateur and professional magicians,” the website stated.
“For the past 90 years magic has been synonymous with Colon.”