We’ve shared cars, houses and clothes. The next step is pools
Want to swim in a pool, but don't have one? There's an app for that. Photo: Getty
The next frontier of the share economy promises to keep Aussies cool as the mercury continues its sweaty trope.
The Swimply app aims to share the cool, refreshing properties of a backyard pool while reducing the costs for the owner.
It’s a platform design out of the US, and was trialled in Australia in summer last year.
It works on a similar basis as Airbnb. People with a pool to share sign up to the platform, specifying what they’ve got to offer – a pool that’s good for laps, for children, or even a pool party – plus when it’s available, and for how much.
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They can also dictate the maximum amount of guests, and list extra amenities like a toilet or changing area, barbecue, and WiFi.
On the other side, those wanting a dip log on to see what’s available around them.
Swimply takes a commission fee of 15 per cent, and works with neighbouring pool companies to make sure everything’s hygienic and safe.
New Jersey fella Bunim Laskin was inspired to create the business when he was 19. Now 22, Laskin was sweating profusely in a New York summer and staring longingly at an unused pool next door.
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He approached his neighbour, saying he’d pay some money to help with the upkeep if he and his siblings could use it at a couple of mutually agreed times a week.
The rest was app history.
Since its trial last year, Swimply looks set to dive in (sorry) to the Australian market. There’s already a handful of Aussie backyard lagoons listed online, ranging in price from $20 to $50 an hour.
