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'Uber-Like' App Dolly Offers Trucks On-Demand

CAMBRIDGE (CBS) - Have you ever found yourself needing to transport something that won't quite fit in your car? Or maybe you don't have a car at all. Plus - you need somebody to help you carry your stuff. Well, there's an app for that.

MIT grad student Jesse Freeman recently found himself in that situation. He gets around on his bike, so when he had the opportunity to get a great deal on a mattress from a friend, he needed a way to move it across town.

"I Googled it: cheap ways to move a mattress," he said.

He found Dolly, an app that lets you order a truck on demand.

dolly app
The Dolly app (WBZ-TV)

"They have an Uber-like interface which tells you were your guy is," Jesse explained.

For his move, the guy was Mbiti Jean-Pierre, who owns BCB Moving out of Malden. He picks up extra jobs from Dolly during the winter when his business is slow.

"This helps us out a lot; we are able to get jobs here and there," he said.

Mbiti arrived with the truck at Jesse's friend's apartment building in the South End and helped Jesse load the mattress onto the truck. The two then drove across the city to Cambridge, unloaded the mattress, and carried it upstairs to Jesse's apartment.

dolly moving
The Dolly app helps users move large objects around town (WBZ-TV)

"As far as I can tell, the alternative was renting one of these trucks myself, which means I have to go pick it up and drop it off, and I also have to find a friend who's free," he said.

The whole trip cost Jesse $60, which he says is about what it would cost to rent the truck.

The app can also help you transport large items home from a big box store, or a Craigslist pickup or delivery.

dolly truck
Loading up a truck ordered via the Dolly app (WBZ-TV)

The type of vehicle you get depends on the job. For larger items, you could get a box truck like the one Jesse had. For smaller jobs you could just get a pickup truck.

For Jesse it was an easy solution. "It's been perfect," he said. "The guy was right on time and he was really helpful."

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