WA family creates app for ice-cream vans on demand

It started on a sunny afternoon in January as two boys and their father waited patiently for ice-cream on the street in front of their Girrawheen home.

Money in hand, 12-year-old Daniel and nine-year-old Aiden Bell could hear the familiar jingle of the ice-cream van getting closer, their mouths watering at the idea of enjoying a vanilla, flake or even choc-dip cone.

But to their disappointment, including father Shane, all the Bell trio saw that day was the van drive straight past their street.

This was when a new idea was born to enable all families throughout Perth to access ice-cream vans at anytime, anywhere.

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“I remember saying, I wish there was a way to get the ice-cream van to come straight to our street and that’s how it started,” Aiden told PerthNow.

“The three of us sat in the loungeroom that night and wrote all our ideas for the app down in a book, which included a big button that said ‘come to my street’.

“A year later, our idea has come to life and I feel really happy that it’s loved by other people and that kids are able to get an ice-cream and not miss out.”

Officially launched just two weeks ago, My Street is a free two-part app available on the Google Store allowing customers to request ice-cream, coffee or food via food vans.

With a handful of vendors already signed up, customers can pre-set their location, whether it be work or private residence and select which van they would prefer in the area, to which the vendor responds to the notification via their own app access.

Under the business name SDA (Shane, Daniel and Aiden) Industries, the Bell trio sought assistance to help design the app, which is to Aiden and Daniel’s exact specifications.

Shane noted how in the short time the app had been available, all feedback received online had been positive.

“It just seemed like although there were so many ice-cream vans in the area in summer, they didn’t go down every street,” Shane said.

“My Street can be used by so many different people as well as families, including tradies on the job site or staff in an office having a birthday party.

“If anything comes out of this at all, whether it becomes a million-dollar project or we make $100 out of it, I just wanted to instil in my boys that everything in life is worth giving a go.

“If it happens, it happens, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t but at least we tried and helped small business throughout Perth.”

The logo for the app, which is an ice-cream cone, was designed by Daniel and features the trio’s favourite ice-cream flavours: strawberry, vanilla and spearmint.

The Bell trio are now seeking private investment to grow the My Street App, which will include more vendors and its availability on the Apple Store.