Cab companies in Las Vegas are fighting back against Uber, Lyft, and other ride-hailing companies by rolling out their own ride-hailing app.
Called “Curb,” the free app is available through Verifone and already is installed on 500 cabs owned by Frias Transportation Management and will placed in cabs owned by Nellis, Lucky, and Western cab companies.
Curb has existed for some time, but it only now is available in Las Vegas after Verifone bought Curb in October and greatly expanded its market coverage. Verifone eventually wants the ride-hailing app made available nationwide.
Would-be passengers can hail cab rides by using the app, which tracks their location via WiFi and allows passengers to immediately book their rides rather than scheduling them well in advance.
Unlike apps used by Uber and Lyft, the Curb app only works with licensed taxi fleets, which are more tightly regulated than Uber and Lyft.
Curb executives say their app makes it much safer to request a ride through taxi companies, which conduct criminal background checks and drug testing of taxi drivers.
