DENVER (KDVR) — The self-proclaimed “Uber of lawn care” is now launching snow-plowing services in Denver.
Green Pal is expanding its services to allow vendors to continue getting income during the winter months.
You might want to get your account set up for Green Pal now, especially if shoveling your driveway is not your favorite activity. Green Pal has been known for on-demand lawn care services, and they have just launched snow plowing services in Denver last week.
How does it work for customers?
Customers can go to the website or download the app, enter the address of the property that they want to be serviced, and answer a few questions about it. Then, the app alerts all the pre-screened plowers in the area that there’s a new job for them if they want it.
The homeowner will then get a quote from each vendor, see ratings, reviews, and prices and then decided who they want to do the work.
So who can book this service? Here’s what co-founder Gene Caballero had to say:
“Anybody that doesn’t want to deal with having to buy snow pipe equipment, or doesn’t have time to do it, or a property manager, or real estate agent, or anybody that you know, these types of properties that need their service done as soon as possible. So, those are kind of the people that favor using somebody. Somebody that doesn’t want to store a snowplow and doesn’t want to get out in the cold.”
Caballero said you should start getting quotes within the first 15 to 20 minutes, but because they get busy on snow days you might want to watch the forecast and book a job the day before. Otherwise, they might book up.
Now, you don’t pay until the service is complete and the vendor will send you a photo of the completed job for approval.
They told FOX31 that the average job of a 2-car driveway and attached sidewalks are about $40 to $60.
The founder also said that they believe the technology is user-friendly and the service could be good for elderly people.
“We’ve done everything we can to be as easy as possible for anybody to sign up, you know, my mother included, 77 years old,” said Caballero.
How does it work for vendors?
Vendors can sign up with the pro app, get approved, and then just like Uber when a request for work pops up you can decide to accept or decline.
The difference here is that vendors can see the property ahead of time from Google Street View and learn about the hard surfaces that homeowners want to take care of.
From there, they can give a quote to a customer and see if they win the bid.
Like Uber, Green Pal does take a percentage of profits but the founder said it’s just 5%. Additionally, vendors can also set their own prices.
So, for vendors who get a $50 job, Green Pal takes $2.50.
Caballero said he has been in the landscaping industry his entire life, all through college, and now. So, he knew what vendors would need out of an on-demand app.
“I wish that someone would have created this for me, but you know, not only do we handle the vendor’s demand creation, we also handle scheduling their payment processing and their route optimization. So, we do a lot for them and we pride ourselves on being the true operating system for landscaping professionals,” Caballero said.
If you want to be a vendor here are the requirements:
- Must be 18 years of age or older
- Have a valid driver’s license
- Have a valid social security number
- Have commercial-grade equipment
Vendors can choose whether they want to bid on the job or not, but the homeowner has the ultimate approval of which price and service they choose.