Public Utility Commission: Unlicensed Amish taxi services are a growing ... Lancaster Newspapers
In Lancaster County's Plain Sect communities, "Amish taxis" are a way of life. In Ohio, they're called "Yoder toters."
Packing into vans, it's often how they shop, go to the doctor or visit relatives more than a buggy ride away.
Their rides, if they are charged for them, are required to be registered with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to make sure the owners have adequate insurance and safe vehicles.
Some 114 transportation services doing business in Lancaster County currently are registered with the PUC.
But according to one longtime licensed transport service for Plain Sects here, there are "hundreds" of one-person transport services that moonlight by word of mouth to a willing clientele.
The person said the ranks of unauthorized Plain Sect transporters are being swelled by unemployed workers and retirees.
"It's really a problem. A lot of drivers are really frustrated by the way things are going."
They don't pay the $350 for a lifetime certificate or register with the state and provide proof of insurance. They don't have the PUC's 2-inch block letter identification number on both sides of their vehicles.


