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Curb: my enthusiasm. (I’m loving this ride-share app!)

a glass of wine next to a painting

I gotta say: as the weeks roll on, I’m more and more impressed with the ride-summoning app Curb. In fact, while my relationship with them got off to a rocky start, we are currently in a little bit of a honeymoon phase.

I’m in Los Angeles right now, on a girlfriend getaway while my family is skiing (how does that work? read this post). We are having lunches with lots of wine, shopping, getting massages, enjoying evening cocktails, getting pedicures, and having mimosa brunches. In other words, we should not be driving. So we’re not. We’re using Curb.

Curb works in a similar way to Uber and Lyft: You download an app, then use the app to call a car. The only difference is that the car you’re calling is a taxi.

Curb contracts with various taxi companies, which makes the experience slightly different than Lyft or Uber. These are the main differences:

1. Cost

Hooray: Curb never uses surge pricing. This means that while prices are normally a little higher than Lyft or Uber, they are occasionally MUCH less. So, if you want a ride during a busy time, Curb is a great option. This is the main reason we’ve been loving Curb on this trip!

2. Availability

The main issue that I have had with Curb, lo these many months, is that their availability is spotty. Even in an area where their service is strong (like Los Angeles), sometimes getting a car is almost a tough as getting a date in New York City (I don’t know about you, but when I was single in NYC I could NEVER get a date).

This is why I got so frustrated with Curb in the beginning (not my lack of date-ability, but their lack of availability).

Case in point: last night. My friend and I had finished dinner, and wanted to grab a ride back to our hotel. High on Curb, I pulled out my phone and used the app to call a cab. Then we waited…and waited…and waited…only to be told that there were no drivers available.

I switched to the Uber app, and an Uber driver was there within two minutes.

Since I’ve had such a positive experience with Curb lately, their on-again, off-again availability is not going to deter me from using their service. Instead, I’ve started to think of Curb, Lyft and Uber as a little toolkit: depending on the situation, I use the right tool for the job.

3. Scheduling

Did you know that you can schedule a pickup with Curb? I love this idea so much! You just select the “Pick Me Up Later” option on the app

curb

You can then choose a time within the next 24 hours.

curb

I haven’t tried this yet, but I probably will this weekend. Curb is working so well for me here in Los Angeles that I feel like I should take advantage of all the amenities they have to offer!

If you want to try it as well, here’s how:

How to get a $15 Curb credit

1. Install the Curb App.

2. Create your account.

3. Go to the settings page (top right-hand corner).

4. Select “promos and credits.”

5. Enter a referral code (currently the best code to use is NOSURGE. If that has expired, my code is R82H70 if you would like to use it – thanks!).

6. Receive your Curb credit!

The next time you ride and use the app to pay with your credit card, the $15 credit will be applied to your final ride total.

Thanks, Curb. You’re making my trip easier for sure.

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18 Comments

  1. I use this app and the cabbie never showed, BUT he did charge my credit card. I WILL NEVER use this service again.

  2. I had taken the time to spread the word about this app and accumulated a healthy amount of credits. My account and my boyfriend’s account were both disabled recently because we logged into each other’s account with each other’s phones!

    Unlike Uber or Lyft this app does not allow you to pay at the end of your ride with the app unless you physically enter the fare. When his phone died during the ride I logged into his account with my phone (as he called the cab) in order to pay through the app.

    According to curb support – it is against your “terms” to log into your own account on another device. I don’t understand how trying to pay with the app is a big issue as they wouldn’t made the 1.5 usage fee without payment. Unfortunately I also do not see this stipulated in the terms . How does that work when you change smart phone or purchase new phones.

    It seems to me like the company is trying to find any excuse to avoid honoring credits earned when I spent the time inviting people and spreading the word. This is unfathomable.

  3. Thanks so much for this post! Recent scandals surrounding Uber have scared me away from that particular service. I’ll have to give Curb a try. These comments are also pretty helpful in terms of what I should be careful of. Appreciate the post and the conversation.

  4. Curb in New York City is horrible and fraudulent. I called for a car and he texted that they would be there right away,then they left me waiting in the awful summer heat. After 10 minutes of no one showing up, I texted and canceled the car, but they charged me anywayand the driver even gave himself a 20% tip! I have disputed the charge to my bank and I will NEVER call curb again

  5. Curb is a huge SCAM. They make you enter your credit card and charge it even when the cab driver says he will come but never shows. If you are stuck in an area where there aren’t too many cabs around, good luck finding one. They will keep canceling on you! Not to mention, their customer service is nonexistent.

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