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The CEO of Ottawa’s newest snow clearing service — a smart phone app that offers on-demand plowing — says his technology was “a victim of its own success” during the city’s first big snowstorm.
Ken Dale, the founder of TouchPlow, said the service was overwhelmed by demand during last week’s 25-centimetre snowfall.
Dale conceded Monday that some customers were left waiting in vain for a plow — in particular those who asked for service within a four-hour window. Many plow operators were still fulfilling seasonal contracts or repairing equipment for days after the storm as the app received more than 400 requests for snow removal.
“The app worked: It worked too well,” he said. “The bottom line is we had more requests for snow clearing than we had plows to respond to them.”
To ensure the same thing doesn’t happen again, Dale plans to open his job-sharing platform to Ottawans with snowblowers who want to earn extra cash.
He announced Monday that he will enlist an as-yet-undetermined number of “public snow clearing providers:” snowblower-equipped residents who will be able to use the app to accept snow clearing jobs eight hours after major snowfalls. Private snow plowing contractors will have the exclusive right to respond to online customers for the first eight hours.
Dale said he expects to lean heavily on retirees and university students to ensure that all of the app’s users are matched with someone willing to clear their driveway, walk or lane in a timely manner.
“There’s obviously a big demand, and a big opening for the general public on a limited basis to be able to get out there and earn some money,” he said.
Much like Uber, TouchPlow uses an online platform to match people in need of snow clearing with a plow in their area. Users and plow operators register online, where payments are processed; prices start at $25 and go up for expedited and additional services.
The snowblower program will be piloted in Ottawa and Edmonton.
Dale said the snowblower program will be tested in neighbourhoods such as The Glebe, which features many narrow driveways and lanes that can’t be served with a plow. Each snowblower will be restricted to operating within a five kilometre radius.
“This is not going to be a rodeo or a free-for-all,” Dale said. “I don’t want too many snowblowers in any one area because I want the plow companies to make money; I want the public providers to make money. So it’s a fine balance.”
After Ottawa’s first snowstorm, some TouchPlow users complained that drivers were late or didn’t arrive at all; others said they were charged $100 more than what they were quoted.
Dale said the extra charge is a hold fee that has since been lowered to $25. “It’s normal practice, every company does it,” he said, noting that all clients receive a full refund for jobs that are cancelled or expire without being fulfilled.
Some customers, however, were still waiting Monday for their money to be released. “They charged me three times the estimate … and did not clean my driveway,” complained Stittsville resident Trish Beetan. “This has been an unnecessary hassle and fight, and I would never use this app or recommend it to anyone.”
Dale said complaints about the service were “very isolated” and represent the kind of problems that always accompany the first big snowfall. “The first storm, people go crazy: It’s just incredible how crazy people go,” he said. “By the third storm, people settle down, the phones go quiet, and everyone gets into a rhythm.”
Snow removal is now part of what some call the “gig economy” where freelance piecework is doled out to individuals via the digital marketplace.
Dale called it an essential service in Ottawa: “I see it as providing employment and solving a very serious problem: getting seniors out of their homes.”
with files from Paula McCooey
查看原文...
Ken Dale, the founder of TouchPlow, said the service was overwhelmed by demand during last week’s 25-centimetre snowfall.
Dale conceded Monday that some customers were left waiting in vain for a plow — in particular those who asked for service within a four-hour window. Many plow operators were still fulfilling seasonal contracts or repairing equipment for days after the storm as the app received more than 400 requests for snow removal.
“The app worked: It worked too well,” he said. “The bottom line is we had more requests for snow clearing than we had plows to respond to them.”
To ensure the same thing doesn’t happen again, Dale plans to open his job-sharing platform to Ottawans with snowblowers who want to earn extra cash.
He announced Monday that he will enlist an as-yet-undetermined number of “public snow clearing providers:” snowblower-equipped residents who will be able to use the app to accept snow clearing jobs eight hours after major snowfalls. Private snow plowing contractors will have the exclusive right to respond to online customers for the first eight hours.
Dale said he expects to lean heavily on retirees and university students to ensure that all of the app’s users are matched with someone willing to clear their driveway, walk or lane in a timely manner.
“There’s obviously a big demand, and a big opening for the general public on a limited basis to be able to get out there and earn some money,” he said.
Much like Uber, TouchPlow uses an online platform to match people in need of snow clearing with a plow in their area. Users and plow operators register online, where payments are processed; prices start at $25 and go up for expedited and additional services.
The snowblower program will be piloted in Ottawa and Edmonton.
Dale said the snowblower program will be tested in neighbourhoods such as The Glebe, which features many narrow driveways and lanes that can’t be served with a plow. Each snowblower will be restricted to operating within a five kilometre radius.
“This is not going to be a rodeo or a free-for-all,” Dale said. “I don’t want too many snowblowers in any one area because I want the plow companies to make money; I want the public providers to make money. So it’s a fine balance.”
After Ottawa’s first snowstorm, some TouchPlow users complained that drivers were late or didn’t arrive at all; others said they were charged $100 more than what they were quoted.
Dale said the extra charge is a hold fee that has since been lowered to $25. “It’s normal practice, every company does it,” he said, noting that all clients receive a full refund for jobs that are cancelled or expire without being fulfilled.
Some customers, however, were still waiting Monday for their money to be released. “They charged me three times the estimate … and did not clean my driveway,” complained Stittsville resident Trish Beetan. “This has been an unnecessary hassle and fight, and I would never use this app or recommend it to anyone.”
Dale said complaints about the service were “very isolated” and represent the kind of problems that always accompany the first big snowfall. “The first storm, people go crazy: It’s just incredible how crazy people go,” he said. “By the third storm, people settle down, the phones go quiet, and everyone gets into a rhythm.”
Snow removal is now part of what some call the “gig economy” where freelance piecework is doled out to individuals via the digital marketplace.
Dale called it an essential service in Ottawa: “I see it as providing employment and solving a very serious problem: getting seniors out of their homes.”
with files from Paula McCooey
查看原文...
