Editor's Review
The idea:
Curb connects riders with licensed, metered taxis rather than a private-hire fleet. Request a cab to your location, or scan a code inside a taxi you flagged down and settle the meter from your phone instead of wrestling with a card reader. In cities with strong taxi regulation, that is a meaningful alternative to the big ride-hailing platforms.
The reality:
A 2.99 average across 1M+ installs is a genuinely poor score, and it is not an accident. Rider complaints about dispatch apps of this type gather around the same themes: requests that expire because no driver accepts, payment screens that stall at the end of a trip, fare and receipt discrepancies, and support that is slow to untangle them. Availability also swings sharply by city and by hour, because everything depends on how many affiliated cabs are actually working nearby.
Who it suits:
People who prefer regulated taxis, need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, or want a clean paper trail for business travel in a city where the service has real coverage. Everyone else should confirm their city is supported and keep an alternative installed, because a taxi app that cannot find a taxi is just a long wait in the rain.
Features
Requests for licensed, metered taxis
In-app payment for street hails using a code inside the vehicle
Fare estimates shown before a trip is confirmed
Stored payment cards and digital receipts
Trip history suited to expense reporting
Accessible vehicle options where fleets provide them
Pros
Regulated meter fares rather than surge pricing
Paying for a street hail from the phone is genuinely handy
Receipts and trip history make expense claims easier
Cons
A 2.99 average rating, the weakest signal of any app here
Availability rests entirely on affiliated cabs being nearby
Payment and receipt problems are a recurring complaint theme
Coverage limited to cities where partner fleets operate
Questions people ask
Which cities does Curb cover?
Coverage follows its partner taxi fleets and varies from city to city. Check the list inside the app for your area first, since an unsupported city means no cars at all.
Can I pay for a taxi I hailed on the street?
In participating cabs, yes. A code in the vehicle links the meter to your account so the fare is charged to a stored card.
