An Amish taxi service is big business for many English folks (that's what Amish call us).
An Amish buggy with one horse is good for 10 to 18 miles (depending on the horse) and two horses will get you a few extra miles, but what if the trip is further or the weather is just too bad to make the trip by Amish buggy?

Call an Amish taxi!

Go into any phone shack in Amish country and you'll find a list hanging on the wall listing available Amish taxis and their phone numbers.
There is also an Amish newspaper taxis drivers advertise in.

The going rate for an Amish taxi ride locally (less than 50 miles) averages $1.00 to $1.25 per mile *2007 prices
If your traveling further the rate averages .75 to .85 cents per mile plus Motel cost for the driver in most cases.

Warning: Don't jump in your van and drive to Amish country expecting to have a new career. If you don't have connections with the Amish community and the area you won't get any work. They aren't going to jump into any van that turns on it's "Open" sign.

The more a van seats the more calls it gets. The Amish people are very money conscious and plan every trip ahead by contacting all of their neighbors about future trips so they can share the cost.

A very popular trip is to Wal-Mart. I would tow an enclosed trailer and pick up as many as 14 people to go grocery shopping. We would fill the trailer up and then head to McDonald's or Arby's for a fast-food treat! This kind of trip also paid "waiting time"

Other common local trips included going to church. The Amish hold church services in their homes every other Sunday rotating from home to home in their district. Many times on an "off-Sunday" they will visit family and friends church services making it too far for their horse and buggy.

When I first started driving I didn't realize how much in demand I would be. 70 to 90 hour weeks and that was only because that's where I drew the line.

I also had a 4 x 4 truck that I used to take the Amish men to auctions. The Amish people love auctions!
At the end of an auction day you would see me pulling a trailer back loaded with non-motorized farm equipment or maybe a couple horses.

In the beginning during a trip the Amish riders would mostly talk to each other in German-Dutch, but once everyone got to know and trust me they switched to English. I never tried to learn their language, however I did learn one very important word - Do-Nat!
Meaning "Don't".  This came in handy when Amish parents were having trouble controlling there young ones. The children figured I didn't speak or understand their language so when they were out of line and heard me shout Do-Nat! they would go scrambling into their seat in shock. It worked very well and I always got a chuckle out of the parents when I had to use this method.

One peculiar thing I've discussed with other drivers, but never asked any Amish why, but whenever I was taking a group on a long distance trip they always wanted to be picked up at 2 or 3 am in the morning. It didn't matter what time that would make their arrival it was just the way it was.

The first thing an Amish child says when getting into the van is "Turn on the radio!"  And usually one of the first things their parents say is "not too loud!"

One thing I enjoyed on long trips was the singing!  We would be going down the road and I would start to get a little tired when all of a sudden one person would start singing a song in German-Dutch. They all would join in and sometimes sing for over an hour.
One such trip we were coming back from Yoder, Kansas. This was the first time I had driven this group so the trip there was a little quiet getting to know each other on the way there.  But coming back was a little bit more fun. I was starting to knod when all of a sudden the singing began. It went on for almost an hour and a half and just as fast as it started, it stopped and it was dead quiet for at least five minutes. Then out of now where the Amish man sitting in my passenger seat looks at me and says: it's your turn!  I wasn't sure what to do?
I kinda chuckled and started singing - "One hundred bottles of beer on the wall"!
Guess what, They all joined in laughing at my selection! Everyone of them knew the lyrics.

I have so many interesting stories to share of my experience in Amish country. I've broken them down to make it easier to read.
Use the links below to find different articles.

Amish Taxi   Fishing Trip    Phone Shack