311 app promises to fill Philadelphia potholes more quickly

Philadelphia now has a cell phone app people can use to report problems to city agencies.

The free app for iPhone, Android and Blackberry is designed to give people an easy way to communicate directly with Philadelphia city government.

“The main feature of the mobile app is that you can submit service requests whether it’s potholes, graffiti, litter, abandoned properties. You can take a picture of it use your phone’s GPS signal to get the address, and send it off to the Philly workorder system,” said Tim Wisniewski, the project manager for the app.

Once the work is done, you will receive an e-mail from the city to verify the problem is really resolved.

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Mayor Michael Nutter says the app could be especially helpful for non-English speakers.

“You can even make your report or request in 50 different languages through this app,” said Nutter.

It cost $20,000 to create the app, with the help of a local company.

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