Curb

About this app

Curb is the #1 taxi-hailing app in the United States, connecting riders with licensed, professional taxi drivers in 65+ cities. Request a ride, track your driver in real-time, and pay through the app — all with the reliability and regulation of the taxi industry. Unlike ride-hailing services, Curb connects you with professionally licensed drivers who undergo background checks, vehicle inspections, and insurance requirements mandated by local taxi commissions. Fares are meter-regulated, meaning no surge pricing during peak hours or bad weather. Curb also offers the Pair feature — simply tap your phone against the taxi meter to pay and tip through the app when you hail a cab on the street.

Key Features

How It Works

Detailed Review

Curb occupies a unique position in the ride-hailing market: it brings app-based convenience to the traditional taxi industry. In an era dominated by Uber and Lyft, Curb makes a compelling case for taxis — especially on two fronts: no surge pricing and professional licensing.

The no-surge-pricing guarantee is Curb's biggest selling point. During New Year's Eve, rainstorms, or concert let-outs, Uber and Lyft prices can surge 3-5x. A $15 Uber ride becomes $60. Curb fares are set by city taxi commissions and don't change based on demand. The meter price is the price, period.

Driver quality is another genuine advantage. Taxi drivers undergo background checks, drug tests, and vehicle inspections mandated by local taxi commissions. Their vehicles carry commercial insurance. This regulatory framework predates ride-hailing by decades and provides a level of passenger protection that gig economy platforms don't match.

The Pair feature is uniquely practical. If you hail a taxi on the street the old-fashioned way, you can still pay through Curb. Tap your phone against the taxi's meter (NFC), and the fare and tip process through the app. You get a digital receipt, and the driver gets a guaranteed payment. It's the best of both worlds: street-hail spontaneity with app payment convenience.

Wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) requests are available in supported cities. This is an area where traditional taxis, with their commission-mandated WAV quotas, often outperform ride-hailing services.

The downsides are real. Taxi supply is simply smaller than Uber and Lyft's driver networks. In many cities, wait times for a Curb-requested taxi average 5-10 minutes longer than a ride-hail. Coverage in suburban and rural areas is minimal — taxis are an urban transport mode.

The app itself is functional but not beautiful. It gets the job done — request, track, pay — but lacks the polish of Uber's interface. The experience feels more utilitarian.

For airport pickups, Curb has a natural advantage. Many airports have dedicated taxi queues with immediate availability, while ride-hailing pickup points can involve waiting in designated lots.

Curb works best in major taxi cities: New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. In these markets, the combination of no surge pricing, professional drivers, and the Pair feature makes it a worthy complement to Uber and Lyft — not a replacement, but a smart option to have in your pocket.

App Information