According to Uber’s founder, Travis Kalanick, the inspiration for the on-demand car service came in 2008 when he tried unsuccessfully to find a cab in Paris. As a result, he developed an app that directly connects riders to drivers, thus bypassing the long waits — and higher costs — that are sometimes encountered with traditional taxi or car-hire services.
This on-demand model has spread quickly into others markets, as well, and apps are now available that connect consumers with local freelance labor that can provide everything from same-day grocery delivery to dog walking to handyman services. It’s this last category that may be of concern to the HVAC industry as numerous on-demand labor sites such as Pro, Porch, and Amazon Home Services give homeowners the opportunity to instantly purchase and/or schedule just about any home services-related task, including HVAC maintenance, repair, and installation.