Emergency roadside assistance app is an alternative to AAA

Some 100 million Americans need roadside assistance every year. Now there’s an app that connects users with the quickest and cheapest options to have their car towed, have a flat fixed, get a jump, and much more.

A new model for emergency roadside assistance

I’ve been a member of AAA forever and have a love/hate relationship with the service. Sometimes when I’ve needed them they’ve been right there for me. That’s the love part. Other times, it seems they never show up. That’s the hate part.

All in all, that’s the randomness of being an AAA member when the chips are down and you need that roadside assistance!

Enter Urgent.ly, a new app developed by somebody who decided what works for Uber in the car for hire world can work for the world of roadside assistance.

So let’s say you get a flat, or your battery dies, or you run out of gas, or any of a host of other car trouble scenarios. By using this app, you can get a sense of price, location of tow trucks, reputations of drivers, and even an estimated time of arrival!

‘Getting you going again due to the most common roadside headaches (dead battery, flat tire, running out of gas, or getting locked out) costs $75,’ according to Urgent.ly’s website. ‘Towing your vehicle to a location up to 15 miles away costs $99, with tiered pricing for drop-offs farther than 15 miles.’

Urgent.ly is a partnership with AOL — remember them? — using their forgotten MapQuest product. It’s an opportunity for you to get help when you’re stranded. We’ll see over time how it works.