Curb - Request & Pay for Taxis

Review by eFreeware

Curb does something the big rideshare apps mostly don't: it is built around taxis, not private cars. The developer, Curb Mobility, says the app connects to more than 100,000 professional drivers across nearly every major US metro area, and it works in three distinct ways rather than one. That combination is the most distinctive thing about it, and it is why I'd point it at a specific sort of rider.

If you live in or visit a US city where taxis are still part of how people get around, and you want the option of hailing one on the street while still paying through your phone, this is the app to look at first. It is also a reasonable fit for travelers who prefer a licensed, insured driver over an unfamiliar private car, or who need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle and don't want to hunt for a company that runs one.

It won't be the right shape for everyone. Curb is a US-focused service, and the developer notes that what's available can differ from city to city. If you're outside that footprint, this isn't aimed at you.

Three ways to get a ride, and why the third one matters

The app splits its service into three modes. Ride Now requests a taxi for immediate pickup, which is the familiar pattern: enter a destination, see what's available, choose a vehicle and go. Ride Later schedules a pickup up to 48 hours in advance, which is the part I'd expect to be most useful for early flights and appointments where you don't want to be refreshing an app at 5 a.m.

Pair & Pay is the mode that sets Curb apart from a conventional booking app. You hail a taxi the old way, on the street or at an airport rank, then pay for it contactlessly from inside the app. For anyone who has stood at a cab stand digging for a card, or handed a driver a card and hoped the reader worked, that's a genuinely different proposition.

The developer also lists three vehicle choices: a standard taxi, a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, or the Select option. Upfront Pricing is quoted for whichever vehicles are available, so you can compare before committing rather than guessing at the meter.

Once a request is in, the app provides live status updates on the ride, so you can follow what's happening instead of standing at the curb wondering. The developer has also reworked trip details so driver information, ETAs, pickup and drop-off points and the full route are easier to see, with a refreshed look and faster loading.

What the upfront fare includes, and what it doesn't

Upfront Pricing is calculated from the time and distance of your trip, and it folds in an estimate of tolls plus the government-mandated taxes and surcharges that apply to the route. That's the number you see before you choose a vehicle, which is the main reason I'd trust this over a metered fare I can't see until I arrive.

The estimate is not the final word. The developer explains that the fare can be adjusted at the end of the trip to reflect the actual tolls, taxes and surcharges incurred, and that any tip is added at that point rather than being part of the quoted figure. So the number you accept is close to, but not identical to, what you'll pay.

Upfront Pricing is also not universal. It's available in New York City, Washington DC, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Miami and Las Vegas, which leaves other cities the app serves working on whatever local arrangement applies. That's worth checking before you build a routine around it.

The recent update adds distance traveled to each entry in your ride history, which is a small change but a sensible one for anyone who tracks expenses or wants to confirm a charge against a route.

Drivers, coverage and the referral offer

Curb's safety pitch is narrow and specific: it works only with professional drivers, and every ride is with a fully licensed, insured driver. That's a different promise from the background-check language rideshare platforms use, and for some riders it will be the deciding factor.

Coverage leans on the taxi industry's existing footprint. New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami and Washington, DC are among the metros served, and availability is described as nationwide. It's worth reading that alongside the caveat that services vary by region, since the app's own listing is the only reliable way to know what your city supports.

There's a referral scheme attached: share your code or let a friend scan your QR code, and they get $5 off a first ride while you get $5 once they book. The developer limits it to trips booked through Curb.

Free to download, with ads in the mix

Curb costs nothing to download, and the developer doesn't sell in-app purchases. There is no paid tier to weigh and no upgrade to consider before you can use the app's features.

The trade-off is advertising. The app contains ads, and the developer has built a dedicated slot for them: exclusive and personalized offers from advertising partners, presented inside the app. The claim is that these are integrated in a way that doesn't interrupt the riding experience, which is the kind of thing only your own patience can judge.

Your fares are separate from all of this. What you pay for a trip is set by the pricing rules described above, not by anything you buy in the app, and the referral credit is the only discount mentioned.

How it stacks up against the alternatives

The obvious comparison is a general rideshare app, where you summon a private car and pay through the same app. Curb's difference is the vehicle and the driver: a licensed taxi, plus the ability to pay for one you flagged down yourself. If your main concern is the widest possible pool of cars at any hour, a rideshare platform will usually have more of them; if you specifically want a cab, Curb is built for that and the others largely aren't.

The second comparison is with a traditional taxi company's own dispatch line or a local cab app. Curb's advantage there is scale and consistency across many cities, rather than a fresh arrangement each time you travel. A local operator may still know its own city better.

A third option is simply paying the driver directly, whether by card or cash. Pair & Pay exists precisely to replace that, and it's the feature I'd weigh most heavily if you take cabs often enough that the payment ritual has become tiresome.

A taxi app worth having if taxis are part of your routine

Curb is a narrow app that does its narrow job in three useful ways. The ability to book up to 48 hours out, to pay for a street hail from your phone, and to see an upfront fare before choosing a vehicle covers most of what a taxi rider actually needs, and the professional-driver policy gives it a clear identity next to rideshare platforms.

The caveats are real but manageable. Ads are part of the package, upfront fares only apply in seven named cities, and the quoted price can shift slightly once actual tolls, taxes and tips are applied. The store rating sits at 3.0 from 8,349 ratings, which suggests a mixed reception rather than universal enthusiasm, and the app has been on Google Play since March 2010, so it isn't a newcomer finding its feet.

I'd suggest it to US riders in cities where taxis are still a normal way to travel, particularly those who want a licensed driver, need an accessible vehicle, or take enough cabs that paying by phone is worth setting up. If you're outside the app's coverage, or you want a private car rather than a taxi, there are better-fitting options and this one isn't pretending to be them.

What's new in version 7.1.3

Ride history now includes the distance traveled for each trip.