Syracuse residents who usually plow their own driveways can go back to bed next time they wake up to a foot of snow thanks to a new app that allows users to hire snowplows on demand.

With “a few taps of a button,” users of the app Plowz can schedule snowplows either immediately or for the next day, said Plowz co-founder William Mahoney. When the job is complete, customers will receive a picture of their freshly-plowed driveway through the app, he said.

Mahoney, a Syracuse University alumnus, and his co-founder Andrew Englander began developing the app in June, though they’d been working on the idea for quite some time, Mahoney said.

“We’re changing the game and making the process more efficient,” he said, adding that Plowz is the only app in the world that provides an on-demand service for snowplows.

The Plowz app uses GPS tracking to automatically locate the nearest snowplow to a customer’s house. Plowz employs more than 40 snowplows in a roughly 50-mile radius of Syracuse, Mahoney said. The app automatically contacts the driver closest to the customer through iPhones, Droids or even iPad minis mounted on the drivers’ dashboards. He added that drivers appreciate being paid through one service rather than by a range of customers.

“What the plow drivers like about it too is they don’t have to chase around people to get paid later,” he said.

Mahoney said he was inspired to create the app from personal experience.

“My mom actually shovels her driveway on her own,” he said, but often can’t handle the sudden accumulation of snow after a storm. And after a storm, he said, it’s next to impossible to recruit a snowplow.

Mahoney added people may be interested in the service for many different reasons. For example, he said, people who spend winters in Florida may want their driveway plowed before they return for the holidays.

The cost of each job varies based on the length of the customer’s driveway and other factors, Mahoney said. Because Plowz is an on-demand, rather than seasonal service, customers control its cost based on the number of times they hire a snowplow.

“We put the consumer in control,” Mahoney said, “They know exactly how much they’re going to spend.”

After downloading the app for free, customers enter how many car lengths and what type of pavement their driveway is and whether it’s straight or curved. Customers also provide their address, house color and mailbox color — and can additionally choose to upload a photo of their house — to help drivers identify their house. The app also features the predicted snowfall in the customer’s area for the current day and next 48 hours.

Driveways start at $25 per snowplow visit, Mahoney said, and most customers will fall close to that price range.

There is “considerable demand” for the service, Mahoney said, with more than 2,000 sign ups in the Syracuse area alone so far. But he and co-founder Englander are looking to expand even further.

“We’re not just going to be hitting the Syracuse market,” Mahoney said, meaning that they’re looking to become a nationwide service. “You’re going to see a lot of exciting things for our company.”

Published on December 5, 2013 at 2:55 am

Contact Maggie: mmcregan@syr.edu