10+ NYC Taxi Apps To Get A Ride In 2023 | Ridester.com

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Finding something to do in a city that never sleeps is easy.

Finding the correct app to use when hailing a ride to get where you need to go might be another story.

Here are 10 of the most talked-about NYC taxi apps, from cab companies to private drivers, but first, let’s answer the most asked question.

A Brief History of Taxis in NYC

The Electric Carriage and Wagon Company was the first taxicab company in NYC in 1897, and they only had 12 electric cabs in the entire city.

Today, there are over 100,000 vehicles for hire in town.

Over the last century, catching a cab has become increasingly expensive even though there is a greater supply of cabs nowadays.

That’s probably because the demand is still just as high in a city with a population of 8.5 million.

The taxi game changed back in 2009 when a software programmer, Garett Camp, created an app called Ubercab for people to hail a driver from their phones.

It was a stroke of genius since the passenger didn’t have to be streetside to make the request.

As the software developed and other creative minds took notice, more transportation apps became available to the public, making the issue of getting a reasonably priced ride more competitive.

New York has some of the best apps available for passengers to get a ride.

Can You Use an App to Get a Taxi in New York City?

Yes.

There are apps available that will let you order a taxi in the heart of NYC without you needing to stick your hand in the air or having the incredible talent to whistle.

Taxi vs. Rideshare

There are a few differences and similarities between a taxi and a rideshare, but it is best to define both before diving in and comparing them.

Taxi:

A taxi, which is a transportation service that started in the late 1800s, is a licensed car ride by a company that charges a fee or fare.

Taxis are usually a fleet of cars that look similar by style, color, and signage.

Rideshare:

Rideshare, a much new concept, is where a company has an arrangement with private vehicles and their owners to offer transportation to passengers for a fee through an app or website.

Similarities Between Taxis and Rideshare

Besides taking a passenger from point A to point B, a taxi or rideshare have a lot of things in common.

They could almost be twins if they weren’t so different.

Here are a few things both have to offer.

• Qualified to drive passengers.
• Drivers are subjected to a background check.
• Will drive you almost anywhere for a fee.
• Take credit card payments.
• Has at least four doors for passengers to get into the vehicle comfortably.
• Drivers usually maintain a high level of professionalism.

Differences Between Taxis and Rideshare

The differences are significant between a taxi and rideshare if you haven’t noticed.

Rideshare:

• The vehicle is always different.
• Offer luxury vehicles for a higher fee.
• Rides don’t allow cash payments.
• You can’t flag down a rideshare on the street without booking a ride through the app.
• Unlike every rom-com movie in the 90s, when the lead character changes their mind and tells the cab to go somewhere else, you can’t change your destination while en route without requesting it in the app.

Taxi:

• Cab drivers don’t know where they’re taking you until you get in the car.
• The taxi might not be as comfortable as other vehicles.
• Less accommodating. The cab driver doesn’t usually ask what you want to listen to on the radio.
• Doesn’t usually offer a charger or charging space for your phone.
• Doesn’t care about 5-star ratings, and sometimes it shows.

Which is Better?

Honestly, it comes down to personal preference, availability, or price for most passengers.

Most passengers feel that either ride is a source of private transportation that gets them to where they need to go without worry.

Some rideshare drivers are excellent, some are not, and the same goes for taxis.

Nevertheless, that’s where tipping your driver comes into play.

There is no guarantee, with either service, that it will be the most incredible experience of your life.

Still, both transportation services have guaranteed standards that the drivers and vehicles must follow.

Both services also have customer service, so if a ride isn’t up to snuff, it can be reported to the proper department.  

What Are the Top Talked About NYC Taxi Apps?

Here are the best NYC Taxi apps.

Curb is an app you download like any other rideshare app.

After putting in your information and payment method, you can request a ride.

Our Pick

Curb is an app you download like any other rideshare app.

After putting in your information and payment method, you can request a ride.

Unlike other rideshare apps, Curb is an app for hailing a taxi.

The app is connected to yellow and green cabs across the city.

How Much it Costs

Curb is competitive and affordable taxi fare rates.

Curb does not have surge pricing for peak hours so it can be more cost-effective than rideshares during those time periods.

Availability

The availability of Curb can be a bit frustrating at certain times of the day, especially in NYC.

You might wait just to find out minutes later that a driver isn’t available in your area.

What We Like

Curb allows you to schedule a pickup at a specific time.

This feature can be taken advantage of when precious time is of the essence, becoming an excellent option for passengers that need a ride to the airport or an on-time event.

What We Don’t Like

We don’t like that the service can be spotty at certain times of the day for spontaneous pickups.

So, we recommend if you’re using Curb to have a backup rideshare app on hand, so you don’t get stranded anywhere.

Arro is an app to hail a cab by phone.

Store everything into your app so there are no physical transactions needed at the time of your ride, and the app takes care of the cost directly to your payment method.

Runner Up

Arro is an app to hail a cab by phone.

Store everything into your app so there are no physical transactions needed at the time of your ride, and the app takes care of the cost directly to your payment method.

How Much it Costs

Arro also believes in keeping things affordable, following the competitive rate of taxi fares in NYC.

They don’t charge surge pricing for peak hours, and Arro practices safety first, training and certifying all cabbies.

They also offer wheelchair accessibility options.

Availability

Arro app has real-time status on their drivers, so you will see if taxi options are near your area and if they are available.

What We Like

Arro has a feature that allows you to pay through the app even if you waved down the taxi the old-fashion way.

Go into the app and press ‘I’m Already In A Taxi’.

The app will pair with the cab’s 7-digit meter number and bam!

The fare is automatically charged to the payment method in the app.

What We Don’t Like

We don’t like the service fees for initiated rides.

The app charges an additional $2 per ride for requests through the app.

Scheduled rides for a specific time reserved are only $3 in comparison.

Not that we want the reserved rate going up, either.

Myle is a rideshare app that can be downloaded onto your phone.

Unlike other rideshare apps, Myle seems to go the extra mile for its passengers.

Also Great

Myle is a rideshare app that can be downloaded onto your phone.

Unlike other rideshare apps, Myle seems to go the extra mile for its passengers.

Myle was created by a veteran NYC cab driver, Aleksey Medvedovskiy, who is determined to do things differently.

During the subway shutdowns at the height of the pandemic, Myle was offering rides to NYC medical staff.

Myle also provides concierge services, public and micro-transit services, and medical transportation.

How Much it Costs

Myle ridesharing is about 10% less than competitive and affordable fares for NYC.

There are no surge charges during peak hours.

Myle doesn’t even charge cancellation fees until the driver shows up at the pickup location.

Availability

Depending on what service you are looking for, availability can be very good.

What We Like

There are so many things to like about Myle.

We appreciate that there are so many transportation options with Myle.

They also are doing their part in helping the environment by cutting down road pollution with micro-transit options.

What We Don’t Like

Myle is only available in the five boroughs of New York.

Also, with all of Myle’s responsibilities to other missions, we’re not sure if it would be easy to use the app spontaneously for a weekday brunch with friends or a night out on the town.

The Drivers Co-op is a non-profit, driver-owned rideshare that is now  in NYC.

It was a collaboration developed by a former Uber executive, a former black car driver, and a union organizer to have drivers make the profits of their hard labor on themselves and their vehicles.

Visit The Drivers Co-op

It was a collaboration developed by a former Uber executive, a former black car driver, and a union organizer to have drivers make the profits of their hard labor on themselves and their vehicles.

Co-op wants their drivers to reap the rewards of a day’s work instead of a company getting the majority of it.

How Much it Costs

The Co-op is competitive with Uber and Lyft.

Availability

With the advantage of booking online or downloading the app, the availability is good for this rideshare if you are using it within NYC.

What We Like

We love that the drivers are getting more of the profits of driving since they are the ones that are keeping the rideshare platform alive.

What We Don’t Like

There isn’t much certainty on what background checks or certifications drivers must endure before becoming a driver for the Co-op.

Uber is the grandfather of ridesharing.

Uber’s timeline started in 2009 and has expanded to a household name worldwide.

Uber is the grandfather of ridesharing.

Uber’s timeline started in 2009 and has expanded to a household name worldwide.

The app was launched in NYC in May of 2011 and quickly changed the game for taxi services.

Over the last year, Uber had again changed the game when they connected with Yellow Taxi, partnering with Curb and CMT.

How Much it Costs

Uber prices started exceptionally well, but as the company grew, so did the prices.

Uber also gave birth to the surging price concept of charging more during peak hours.

When Uber started, it was a tip-free service because Uber promised that drivers were being taken care of through the fare rate.

Today that is not the case, and tipping is insisted upon.

Availability

Uber is highly available at most times of the day.

Uber drivers will hustle during peak hours to make extra money, so even though it might be busier and a longer wait, they will eventually get to you.

What We Like

We like that Uber is the creator of ridesharing.

We also like that the company is so recognizable to new drivers joining a rideshare group that they sign on with Uber, resulting in the availability of transportation to continue to grow in NYC.

What We Don’t Like

We don’t like that the prices for a ride across town have tripled since the inception of Uber.

The rise in cost hardly has anything to do with gas prices, either.

As drivers still only make 40% on each ride, more growing corporate hands are digging in, looking for their share of the profits.

All of this increase is forgetting why Garrett Camp created Uber in the first place.

Lyft became Uber’s first competitor in June of 2012.

It works just like Uber when you download the app and add a payment method.

Lyft became Uber’s first competitor in June of 2012.

It works just like Uber when you download the app and add a payment method.

Visit Lyft

Lyft has some other benefits, like providing a transit schedule.

How Much it Costs

Lyft is comparable to trending Uber prices.

Lyft, like Uber, also has surging prices during peak times.

Availability

The availability for Lyft is great.

Most drivers for Uber are also working for Lyft.

What We Like

We like that you can reserve a bike or scooter directly on the Lyft app.

Click the bike or scooter icon on the app and enter the code given into the keypad on the dock.

What We Don’t Like

We don’t like that Lyft’s prices have increased as quickly as Uber’s costs over the last several years.

Revel is an all-electric rideshare.

They have Teslas and mopeds.

Revel is an all-electric rideshare.

They have Teslas and mopeds.

Visit Revel

Tesla is the car that will pick you up when you request a ride.

Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can rent an electric moped, already supplied with two helmets for safety.

How Much it Costs

The rideshare Tesla is competitive with other rideshare prices.

Moped rental is only $1 to unlock the scooter and about $0.25 a minute.

This can add up if you are planning to use it for a while, but the moped is super convenient for a quick run a few blocks away.

Availability

Revel’s availability is not what someone needing a ride today would want to hear.

There is a waiting list to ride in Revel’s revolutionary Tesla vehicles.

What We Like

Revel released a fleet of e-bikes for monthly rentals.

With a top speed of 20mph, you can rent an electric bike for around $99 a month.

What We Don’t Like

The electric rideshare service is being treated as a novelty at the moment, and with a small fleet of Tesla’s, you’ll be waiting for quite a while before you get picked up in one.

Via works a bit differently than other rideshares.

It’s carpooling at its finest.

Unlike Uber Pool, where the driver can keep you on a ride for way too long, Via uses science behind its pooling service.

When you request a ride, you put in your location and destination.

Visit Via

Unlike Uber Pool, where the driver can keep you on a ride for way too long, Via uses science behind its pooling service.

When you request a ride, you put in your location and destination.

The driver will pick you up along the way and drop you off in a timely fashion.

How Much it Costs

Via can be utterly affordable as it helps save the planet by reducing Co2 emissions.

Some people stated that using Via can cost them as low as $5 per ride.

Availability

As long as Via has drivers heading your way and room in the van, they will pick you up.

Availability seems to be good, but does require some wait time.

What We Like

Via is incredibly friendly and looks out for its clientele by offering discounts for Seniors and other concessions.

What We Don’t Like

Carpooling is always a gamble on getting to destinations by a specific time, but if you don’t have a hard-pressed time to be somewhere on the dot, by all means, enjoy this super-friendly ride.

Gravity is new-world technology when it comes to ridesharing.

The electric fleet of yellow taxis is a posh experience as it has integrated A.I. Technology.

Gravity is new-world technology when it comes to ridesharing.

The electric fleet of yellow taxis is a posh experience as it has integrated A.I. Technology.

Visit Gravity

How Much it Costs

Gravity has Mach-E, Model Y, and Tesla yellow taxis available, but they also offer a black car service which makes the cost vary dramatically.

Availability

The availability for taxis is very good.

There’s even a chance to hail one off the streets of NYC.

What We Like

We like the luxurious feel of taking the city taxi up a few levels while being completely good for the environment.

Oh, they also have a photo booth option within the cab.

What We Don’t Like

We don’t like that the app is only available on IOS, Mac, and iPhones.

10. Juno

Sadly, Juno doesn’t work any longer.

The transportation app has gone bankrupt and has been acquired by Gett.

Gett is a worldwide app that is most popular in Israel, UK, and Russia.

Gett had big plans when buying Juno, but those plans didn’t pan out for New York City and the rest of the U.S.

Gett closed the books on Juno app and referred drivers and customers to join Lyft.

Oddly enough, some corporate customers of Gett still refer to the app as Juno.

However, Gett is a one-source app to connect all rideshare options, including Lyft, into one place.

Which is the Best NYC Taxi App?

Curb is rated as the number one taxi app in major cities, according to Apple’s data.

However, it is challenging to pick just one app as the best taxi app after looking at its pros and cons.

Myle seems to be the app giving a good run with Uber and Lyft as a respectful competitor but at a 10% cheaper rate.

Gravity and Revel, along with electric vehicles in general, are probably the future of ridesharing, but with a smaller fleet of vehicles available, you must rely on a secondary app so you don’t get stranded on the streets of NYC.

Wrapping Up

No matter which yellow and green taxi, or ridesharing app you favor, it’s best to have at least two apps on your phone to price check and avoid surges.

With all these options popping up in the heart of NYC, if we do the work, we can keep transportation services at a reasonable price.