Standard Forms of Transportation in the Amish Community
The most common form of transportation in the Amish culture is horse and buggy. These vary by group and can tell how conservative a group is. The more conservative a group the more austere the buggy is and the more stocky the horse. The most conservative Amish tend to use wooden wheeled buggies with steel banding wrapped around the wheels. The side curtains on these buggies are rolled up and tied off. The front of the buggy is open to the weather with no protection at all. These groups will also omit any slow moving signs from the buggy and they will use oil lamps as the lights for the rear. These buggies are also equipped with manual brake levers. Finally the horse that is used by the conservative groups look more like work horses.
As far as the less conservative groups their horse and buggy will usually be quite a bit different. For instance the side curtains are replaced with sliding doors. The front part of the buggy is covered by a Plexiglas windshield and may even have wipers. These buggies also may be equipped with turn signals or blinking lights which are powered by a car battery. The wheels on these buggies also have rubber instead of the steel banding. Brakes may be hydraulic instead of manual levers. The horses tend to look more like thoroughbreds than field horses.
Winter driving can be a bit of an inconvenience due to the cold but the Amish usually will use buggy robes to keep warm. These are heavy quilted comforter type blankets that are insulated and lined with fake fur.
Local craftsmen usually manufacture the buggies. However the parts to assemble the buggies may come from a variety of locations. Usually the shop that is assembling the buggy will take care of the upholstery. Many times a new buggy will be presented as a wedding gift. Typically these buggies can last about fifty years with proper maintenance.
Other forms of transportation that may be used by the Amish are bicycles, horseback riding, or a horse cart. Sometimes Amish are even permitted to use tractors as a mode of transportation. It all depends on the group as to what is allowed to be used. In some of the less conservative sects they will allow their members to ride in automobiles.
If the Amish need to take a longer trip they will usually take busses and in some rare instances they may be permitted to fly. If a family is moving a long distance they may be allowed to hire a moving truck and then they would in turn travel by bus or plane to meet the moving truck at the end destination.
This page was created by Ken Highman on November 22, 2011.
This page was modified on December 12, 2011.
For comments or questions you can submit an email to:ken.highman@rasmussen.edu