Snow Plowing: There's An App For That
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - A new app that offers on-demand snow plowing is becoming a big hit in the Twin Cities.
"Now, you can have someone tap a few buttons while you're in bed and in 30 minutes, you can have your driveway plowed," said Wills Mahoney, co-founder of the Plowz & Mowz app.
Mahoney, a native of Syracuse, New York, launched the app last December in the Twin Cities. The app covers a 40-mile radius in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area.
"We're in 30 markets across the country right now, but I can tell you the demand we've had in Minneapolis has been overwhelming, especially in the past 24 hours," said Mahoney.
The company's had more than 1,000 requests for this week's storm.
Mahoney said he created the app after his mother in Syracuse couldn't find someone to come to her home to plow her driveway. In the meantime, plows kept passing her house.
The app is simple to use: You download it, enter a few pieces of information and then, in real time, they calculate a price. The average price is about $45, depending on the width and length of the driveway. Then you choose whether you want it plowed right away, in the morning or the afternoon.
Once the driveway is done, the driver snaps a photo and sends it to you.
"After the job is completed, the consumer actually rates the job," said Mahoney. "So we're able to keep up with quality control."
Plowz has well over 100 different land escaping companies signed up with them in Twin Cities. Each company uses commercial grade equipment and has to have at least $500,000 in general liability insurance. "These are seasoned guys," Mahoney said.
If you don't have a smartphone, Plowz offers online web ordering at his website.
