Amish Taxis
Unlicensed cabs are also found among the Amish of rural Pennsylvania. An Amish taxi is typically an illegal taxicab operation run on an informal basis by an individual who is not specifically running a taxi service, but who has been propositioned by an Amish person to transport them for shopping or business purposes. Old Order Amish do not drive, but will hire a van or taxi for trips for which they cannot use their traditional horse and buggy transportation.
In most rural locations with a low-density Amish population, it would be impractical for an Amish person to hire a commercial taxi from a metropolitan area since the taxi would have to drive long distances just to pick up the Amish person. It is therefore more convenient and less expensive to find an unlicensed non-Amish neighbor willing to act as a "taxi".
Normal individual automotive insurance is not intended to insure driving a vehicle for hire for business purposes.
A paratransit license from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is required to operate an Amish Taxi legally in Pennsylvania. This applies to anyone who transports people for a fee. The vehicle cannot be over 15 passenger and must display a PUC identification number on both sides of the vehicle.
Read more about this topic: Illegal Taxicab Operation