Genius Amish Entrepreneur Starts Horse-And-Buggy “Amish Uber”

By Josh Helmuth

Amish horse and buggy (Getty Images)

I’m from Arthur, Illinois. It’s a small town. You’ve likely never heard of it unless you’re really into Amish culture.

My last name is Helmuth. No, not like Phil Hellmuth (the poker player). You’ve likely never heard of it unless you’re into Amish culture.

Just like my last name, my hometown is synonymous with the Amish. There are thousands of them in farms around Arthur. My dad was one of them, until he was 17, when he left home and turned ‘English.’

We’re still relatively close with many of our Amish family. In fact, after my wife and I got married last year we had an ‘Arthur Amish wedding fiesta’ in Arthur this past spring (my wife is Mexican).

It was a blast, and, with the help of my Amish cousin, Galen, I took my wife on her first buggy ride.

My wife and I going for an Amish-style buggy ride in my hometown. My Amish cousin Galen took the reins.

So, all of that being said, I about fell over when I saw an Amish man in Michigan started his own ride-sharing service last weekend.

The dude’s name is Timothy Hochstedler. His ride may only be one horse power, and you can’t use a cell phone to hail him over, but he may currently have the most popular ‘cab’ in the midwest right now. And it’s only $5.

Ladies and gents, the ‘Amish Uber’ …

 

So, the horse’s name is Walker, and for $5 you can get an authentic Amish ride, partying like it’s 1899? HILARE!

WSBT

“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 door steps,” Hochstedler said.

Here’s some footage of a ride heard ’round the country.

Josh’s Take

First, you wouldn’t believe the suspension on those buggies. The rides are smooth. And if you’re lucky, you may even get a buggy with a battery powered stereo and heater — that’s what Galen has. He’s hipster Amish.

Which leads me to this — the Amish in Colon, Michigan must be relatively rad too.

Each Amish community is different. Some have strict rules. Some are loose. Some vary from family to family. Timothy, isn’t only a fun-loving, affable-as-they-come, genius, he’s also fascinating because he let a TV crew film and mic him (real Amish aren’t allowed to be photographed traditionally).

It’s possible Timothy may lean more Mennonite, but he certainly has the dialect of someone from the Amish faith. I think this is real.

This is the best Amish story I’ve seen since Leroy Stolzfus ran a marathon in full Amish garb.

Below is the full news story. Wait for Timothy to give the ‘Amish’ signal… just, wait for it. SO TRUE!

Josh Helmuth is a sports reporter in St. Louis who contributes to Mandatory. 

Josh Helmuth
Josh Helmuth

Josh is originally from the small berg of Arthur, Ill, proudly the Amish capital of the state. It also has one hell of a pumpkin patch.

Josh has enjoyed dipping his toes into a variety of careers since graduating from the University of Alabama, the most rewarding thus far having served as a youth director in southern California for four years, and his broadcasting career which has garnered two Emmy awards and three Edward R. Murrow Awards.  

Josh enjoys loud rock music, Tom Hanks movies, dogs that like to cuddle and long runs. He is also always in search for America's greatest cheeseburger. Follow him here if you would like to be friends!

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