Michigan man turns horse and buggy into 'Amish Uber'

Aug. 6 (UPI) -- An Amish man in Michigan is putting a new spin on ride-sharing with his horse and buggy service that he branded "Amish Uber."

Timothy Hochstedler of St. Joseph County said he started offering $5 rides in his horse-drawn buggy in the city of Colon after learning about Uber, the app-based ride sharing service.

"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 told WWMT-TV.

Hochstedler, who is not affiliated with Uber, said most of his customers are tourists, but locals also enjoy his services.

"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," Hochstedler said.

Hochstedler's analog Uber is slightly more difficult to book than its app-based namesake: Customers have to wave him down on the street.