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Every part of America has officially entered the 21st Century. There is now an Amish Uber in Colon, Michigan.
“First time Ubering and we’re riding in a buggy,” rider Steve Phelps told WWMT TV.
There is not app for the Amish Uber. Instead, riders have to flag operator Timothy Hochstedler’s horse-drawn buggy down. The buggy takes them to any part of Colon for just $5 a ride.
The service has nothing to do with Uber Technologies Inc., the $62 billion Silicon Valley ridesharing giant. Uber has become an iconic part of American culture.
A Horse Drawn Amish Uber
The horse-drawn Amish Uber is a one-man business started by Hochstedler. It currently only serves Saint Joseph County, Michigan.
Riders can take the Amish Uber to local venues such as Curly’s; apparently a local eatery or local hole, and Abbott’s Magic Get Together. Locals like the service because neither the real Uber nor its archrival lift has reached Saint Joseph County yet.
“I don’t think there’s Uber down here, so it’s pretty cool,” rider Becky Phelps said. “It gives people that option that can’t drive or don’t want to drive or shouldn’t drive.”
Amish Uber is a “Cool Thing”
When asked why he chose the name Amish Uber, Hochstedler had a very simple explanation.
“Uber is a cool thing, every single year something new comes in and Uber is hot right now, so we have the Amish Uber,” Hochstedler explained. “We can deliver people to their front doorsteps.
A key partner in the start-up that definitely enjoys the Amish Uber concept is Hochstedler’s horse. Unfortunately, news stories did not name the happy horse.
“He loves people,” Hochstedler said. He’s a Morgan. “A Morgan is a people’s horse. They love giving you a kiss or whatever.”
News stories did say whether Uber Technologies has taken any interest in Hochstedler’s experiment. Nor has Uber apparently tried to develop a driverless Amish Uber at this time.
How the Amish Resist the Internet and Modernity with These Four Books
Traditional or Old Order Amish have a simple means of living without the Internet. They rely upon old-fashioned paper and pencil for information.
Every Old Order Amish family in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, keeps copies of four books in their home. Those books are The Bible, The Church Directory of the Lancaster County Amish, Outlying Daughter Settlements, and the Lancaster Business Directory.
Each of those books provides Amish folks in the county with all the information they need. The Amish do read many other books and newspapers, Lancaster Online reported.
Persons wondering how Hochstedler learned about Uber have a simple answer. He read about Uber in a newspaper.
The Amish show it is possible to stay connected and informed without electronics and the internet. And while that might be a big step for most Americans, it does show that an off-the-grid lifestyle is possible and perhaps even preferable.
The Amish Uber also proves that ridesharing is not as high-tech as many people think it is. The truth is, millions of Americans have used another form of “ridesharing” called hitchhiking for centuries.
That service has been accessible through an “app” and it’s called your thumb. If you’re ever in Lancaster country, you can hail Amish Uber using the same time-test app.
