If you haven't already heard, a large snowstorm is set to cover the Northeast this weekend in a white, snowflake powered fury. And people are admittedly freaking out about the impending weather. Here in the District, the storm will undoubtedly bring numerous transportation issues and delays across the entire region. So, if you happen to find yourself in a vehicle—which we really don't recommended given the forecast—you're likely aware that the chances of getting stuck on the side of the road increase exponentially with these wintery conditions. But you're not the only person carefully watching the weather situation. Vienna, Va.-based roadside assistance startup Urgent.ly is making moves to prepare for a flurry of service requests.
Urgent.ly calls itself the "Uber of roadside assistance," and it certainly follows a similar model. With the tap of a button, a user can call for a contracted roadside assistance truck to help them on the side of the road. Urgent.ly, in this sense, is the technology provider that connects a network of 45,000 roadside assistance trucks across the U.S.
These truck drivers are contractors and not direct employees of Urgent.ly, similar in nature to Uber. The ordering platform, enabled by a smartphone app, allows users to select the necessary service they need (tire change, locked keys, a faulty engine, towing etc.) for a fixed price. Then an estimate wait time is provided via the app that shows the time of arrival for assistance.
We do understand that when bad weather strikes, we might not be able to get to our customers as fast
In an interview with DC Inno, CEO Chris Spanos said that Urgent.ly is "working closely with [its] network of providers in affected areas so they can help ensure the safety of all drivers."
He added, "we are keeping our service providers up to speed on our service commitments as well as safety measurements and protocols, while supporting them in the field through our call centers. We do understand that when bad weather strikes, we might not be able to get to our customers as fast, but are able to balance the safety of our drivers and our customers as much as possible through early preparation and timely communication."
Urgent.ly will have 500 trucks ready to go this weekend in the D.C.-area, said director of marketing Jaivin Karnani.
In the past, Urgent.ly has noticed a dip in requests during wintery storms. A predictive user activity data model is being used this year to figure out expected demand. The information from the model is also being shared with drivers, providing insight into potential requests this weekend around certain areas. Karnani said that severe weather tends to keep people off the roads, however, and that given the sizable network of drivers, demand will likely not exceed supply.
As Spanos mentioned, Urgent.ly's call centers are also being prepped for a potential surge in customers calls because arrivals times will be relatively delayed.
On Friday morning, Urgent.ly plans to send an email to users giving them a heads-up about expected weather-related service conditions in addition to a helpful list of best practice to follow if a customer chooses to drive during the storm.
Here's a set of recommendations that Urgent.ly designed for blizzard drivers:
- Check tread and tire pressure
- Check anti-freeze and coolant levels
- Travel with as full of a tank of gas as possible, to keep the car heavy and so it can run in case of any stranded emergencies
- Prepare an emergency kit (with spare tire equipment, forest aid kit, flashlight/flares, blanket, snow brushes etc.
- Optional: download Urgent.ly’s free app for emergencies when timely roadside assistance is needed
