Uber. That's an elegant idea. Hail a ride at the press of a smartphone button and let the nearest available car come to you. When demand rises, prices follow; the driver benefits from higher fares, and the customer who's willing to pay can find a ride when he needs one.

Well, what's good for the cab driver is good for Mr. Plow, no? So thought Yeh Diab, an entrepreneur in Weymouth, Massachusetts, who created a web service to help homeowners find better prices on plowing services.

Mr. Diab's concept was to build a network of drivers, then send work requests to the closest available plow man (or woman), saving time and gas. Customers can specify the amount they're willing to pay, then let drivers decide whether it's worth taking the call.

According to Boston.com:

Diab hopes that PlowMe will be able to combat price-gouging on the day of a big storm, by giving consumers access to a larger population of plow drivers, and letting consumers specify the price they're willing to pay for a job. A driver can call or text with questions.

Less elegant: The service, which operates in Boston, southern New Hampshire, Chicago and Denver, is called PlowMe.

Though we suppose, it's easy to remember.  And we're probably not the ones to talk.