Busy Day For On-Demand Snow Removal App Considered 'Uber For Snowplowing'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Wednesday's winter storm meant a very busy Thursday for on-demand snow removal app Plowz & Mowz. The company reports since Wednesday, it is averaging a new request for snow removal about every 20 seconds in the Philadelphia area.
The sound of shovels scraping the sidewalks is often heard in conjunction with sighs of frustration, like on Green Lane in Manayunk, where Matthew Garrison was shoveling his sidewalk.
"The ice is very tough to get up. It freezes itself down and you throw some salt down, but it gets annoying after a while," he said.
But James Koopman of K-Squared Property Services is different from most.
"Snow is actually my favorite thing," he said. "I will travel anywhere when there's a snowstorm."
Koopman's company is one of about 60 local contractors on the Plowz & Mowz app, which is available in more than 55 cities, including Philadelphia.
People can go into the app, enter in what services they need and they'll get an instant quote. Due to demand right now, the cost ranges from $50 to $100. Jobs are then dispatched out to the nearest contractor like Uber or Lyft.
"I'm based here in Syracuse, New York, which is one of the snowiest cities in the country," said Wills Mahoney, Plowz & Mowz co-founder. "My mom of all people couldn't get out of her driveway. I called every snowplow operator possible. No one picked up their phone. Meanwhile, I'm shoveling out her driveway and I see plow trucks driving by and I was like, we can solve this problem."
Eyewitness News caught up with Koopman at a job in Berwyn, Chester County. He said partnering with the app has been a great way to connect to new customers, especially after two snowless winters.
"We're picking up extra work where we can, so this was a good opportunity to get those picked up," Koopman said.
As for Philadelphia, the Streets Department has put trash and recycling pickup on hold Thursday to focus its 300 trucks on plowing streets.
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