Where do Curb, Flywheel, & cabs work as well as Uber et al.?

July 5, 2015 9:20 PM

I'd prefer to use Curb, Flywheel, & other apps that leverage the extant cab infrastructure to hire rides instead of Uber, Lyft, Sidecar, etc. However, because cab infrastructure varies wildly between cities, so too does the quality of using these apps; calling up a cab on my phone and waiting twenty minutes is worse than feeling slightly conflicted about a rideshare. Where have you used Curb or Flywheel and had a good time? Better than with a rideshare? Worse?
posted by Going To Maine to Travel & Transportation (7 answers total)

In Chicago (and probably other places I'm not aware of) you can use Uber to call regular city cabs and it works great.
posted by bleep at 9:26 PM on July 5, 2015

Flywheel was pretty decent in San Francisco, I used it almost every day a couple of years back. It is near to useless in Burbank.
posted by viramamunivar at 9:45 PM on July 5, 2015

I have used Flywheel a dozen or so times in Seattle, usually pm rush hour or pre-theater, and had a cab within ten minutes each time, no complaints.
posted by silby at 9:46 PM on July 5, 2015

I've used Flywheel about 10-20 times in San Francisco, various times (no late night), excellent or satisfactory experience each time.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 10:06 PM on July 5, 2015

Portland, OR? Until a few months ago Curb was the only option for a phone-app-dispatched car. The ones I took last year were licensed taxis.
posted by Nelson at 7:05 AM on July 6, 2015

FWIW every app I have installed that (purports to) summon medallion taxis in NYC has had terrible results, including but not limited to the Uber taxi option. Whether due to the apps, the lack of interest of taxi drivers, or the incompatibility of app dispatch versus the must-pickup-street-hail rules, I don't know.
posted by MattD at 8:05 AM on July 6, 2015

I live in Minneapolis and take cabs every once in a while. I haven't used Curb or Flywheel, I have tried to use iHail and Taxi Magic (which I think got bought by Curb?). Both apps were terrible. The cab infrastructure itself, though, is totally fine.
posted by clavicle at 8:26 AM on July 6, 2015