In This Michigan Small Town, You Can Hail an ‘Amish Uber’
Timothy Hochstedler, of Colon, Michigan, is redefining the frontier of ride-sharing with what is being hailed as the "Amish Uber."
With a population of approximately 1,200 people, ride-sharing apps aren't really practical in the "magic capital of the world." (Colon, as it happens, is famous for manufacturing equipment for magicians.) As a result, Uber and similar services are not offered within the city limits.
Now, however, if you're traveling in St. Joseph's county, you may be able to hitch a ride with Hochstedler and his horse and buggy. Of course, you'll have to take the slow — albeit more scenic — route.
A video featuring Hochstedler behind the reins shows him and his Morgan horse trotting down the street, greeting locals as they make their way through the small town. Hochstedler isn't the only one spreading the love. When talking about his partner-in-crime, Hochstedler said, "A Morgan is a people's horse. They [love giving] you a kiss."
According to WWMT-TV, Hochstedler will take you "right to [your] doorstep" for just $5 on weekends.
While Hochstedler may consider his services akin to Uber, you can't actually use an app to secure your ride on the horse and buggy. Instead, those looking for Hochstedler's services must flag him down somewhere within the 1.73 square miles of Colon.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmI2OmFH-HC/?taken-at=3560575
Hochstedler has no actual affiliation with Uber, despite the eerily-familiar small talk that often unfolds between ride-share drivers and their passengers. And instead of the iconic Uber sticker stuck to the front of a car windshield, Hochstedler has a piece of paper taped to the side of the cart reading "Amish Horse & Buggy Rides."
While "Amish Uber" may be the only horse and buggy ride sharing option, it's hardly the first Uber spin-off to surface. Uber has actually spawned several versions of itself across the world, including UberBOAT in Croatia and Turkey, and even UberWINE and UberWINEXL in Santa Barbra.
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
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Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month