Clearing snow from your driveway or a parking lot seems like it’s one of those activities you’d never be able to turn over to an app, but now even snow plowing has entered the Digital Age.
Plowz and Mowz has been called the Uber of snow removal and lawn services. The New York company offers on-demand plowing and mowing, and is now into its second winter of operations in Milwaukee - one of its top growing markets.
The app was inspired by co-founder Wills Mahoney’s own experience searching for a snowplow after a snowstorm covered his mother’s driveway in more than a foot of snow.
“She desperately asked me to call around and see if I could get a snowplow provider out there. No one picked up their phone. Meanwhile, plow trucks were driving right by her house,” says Mahoney. “I was saying to myself, ‘This is a missed opportunity.’ These guys are driving by and they could’ve just picked up extra revenue, and my mom could’ve gotten out of her driveway.”
The app is pretty easy to use and the process is pretty simple, according to Mahoney. “You basically enter your driveway information, property information, and our system calculates an exact price based on what it would cost to either mow your lawn or plow your driveway,” he says.
Users can choose exactly what time they want their property plowed, or they can ask for one as soon as possible. The app sends updates, and when everything is done the user is sent a picture of the finished job. Providers are required to have commercial quality equipment, and users can rate their provider after each job.
“I think it makes sense for both the consumer and the provider, so it’s really a win-win situation,” says Mahoney.
