9 Best Taxi Apps in NYC: Cab and Rideshare Rides On-Demand
New York City serves an almost endless sampling platter of iconic things to see and do – from the Central Park and the Whitney Museum to the Brooklyn Heights promenade. But NY covers 321 square miles, so you'll need to get to grips with the city's extensive public transport network.
New York City has one of the world’s biggest subway systems that is run year-round. However, you can also turn to taxis, trains, bikes, boats and buses.
In this article, we focus on the best NYC cab apps approved by the taxi and limousine commission.
The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (NYC TLC) is an agency that belongs to the New York City government that licenses and regulates the medallion taxis and for-hire vehicle industries, including app-based companies.
Whether you're a local realizing you need to get a ride near you or a traveler, exploring the “Big Apple,” in this guide you will learn everything you need to know about the NYC taxi apps and rideshare options.
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If you do not know how to get taxi in NYC, you are at the right place. Tou can find one in the street or you can use an app. Find below the list of the best NYC taxi apps for 2022.
Co-op Ride is a driver-owned ride hailing platform. The company was founded in 2020 by Erik Forman, Ken Lewis, a black car driver, and Alissa Orlando, former head of operations for Uber’s business in East Africa.
Drivers coop currently has more than 2,500 drivers in New York.
You can use the app to book every kind of ride, including long distance rides.
If you are looking for chauffeur jobs in NYC, you can apply and join the cooperative.
Co-op Ride drivers earn more on each trip, says the cooperative, 8 to 10% more than Uber and Lyft rides. This is due to the fact that the cooperative takes a smaller commission, and all the profits go back to the drivers in the form of annual dividends, based on how much work they do. If you drive more trips, you will receive a bigger share of the profits. Uber, in contrast, claims to take a 25% fee on all fares for their operating costs, which will go toward things like onboarding, licensing, customer service, engineering, and so on.
What we like:
We really appreciate the business driven values of the app that brings people together in a democratic and equal way.
As all the cooperatives, Drivers Coop is not just focused on profit and act together to build a better world through cooperation.
What we don't like:
While we will never stop supporting the cause of the app, we recently received complaints from riders that were charged almost double of their original fare.
Availability: New York City
Are you looking for the best taxi company in New York? You are at the right place. Ravel is one of the Tesla ride sharing options available in the United States. The company is focused on sustainable mobility.
What we like:
Mayor Bill de Blasio said “Climate change is an existential threat facing our city, our nation, and our world.”
At BestReferralDriver we know that our world is changing and we will continue supporting the companies that do their part to combat climate change.
What we don't like:
Currently, there is a waitlist for the rideshare app in NYC.
Availability: Revel doesn’t operate above 72nd st and doesn’t have services in Brooklyn.
Gravity mobility is one of the smallest taxi apps in New York. In 2021, the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission approved the new startup that is bringing electric vehicles to NYC.
What we like:
Gravity offers luxury rides in EV. Safety is a priority for the company.
Gravity cars are equipped with the following features:
What we don't like:
The NYC yellow cab app is available only for iphone users.
Availability: New York City
Mobile app: iOS
Using a taxi can be a convenient alternative to driving or taking public transit services. Curb yellow cab works only with professional taxi drivers. Every time you ride with the Curb app , you’ll ride with a fully licensed, insured driver.
The app provides different kinds of rides, including shared rides and wheelchair accessible rides.
What we like:
The app is really easy to use. If you are in the Manhattan area, it will not be hard to find a driver for your next ride. You can book a cab for now or If you want to reserve a taxi in NYC, you can use the reservation option.
What we don't like:
Drivers working on the curb rideshare platform are not affiliated with , employed or controlled by Curb car service.
Recently, we received a message from a rider, who had some issues with her driver during a trip and, unfortunately, she couldn't receive support from the company.
Availability: NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami and Las Vegas.
RideMyle is a new ride hailing company offering on demand transportation services. Myle car service offers different types of ride options including standard vehicles, SUVs, non emergency transportation, wheelchair-accessible vehicles, and carpooling rides.
The rideshare platform is built for governements and the healthcare industry and it is one of the best wheelchair transportation services and non emergency medical transportation in NYC.
Currently, approximately 5,000 drivers licensed by the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) are driving for the company.
What we like:
You can use Ride Myle for on-demand rides or use the pre-schedule ride options. The app doesn't make use of surge pricing .
What we don't like:
The only complaint we received is that sometimes the app doesn't function very well.
Availability: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island.
Arro taxi is one of the New York taxi apps. You can use Arro to be connected and hail a ride with the taxi cab near you. You can also use Arro as a payment app. Arro developed an e-payment system that allows you to pay with your app if you are in a taxi ride just entering the pairing code you can find in your taxi.
What we like:
We like the convenience of using the app that allows paying for a taxi ride once you are already in it.
What we don't like:
The meter in the taxi starts once you are matched with the driver and not when you get in the car. This means that depending on traffic conditions and how far away the driver is when accepting your ride, you can pay several dollars more on top of Arro charges.
Keep in mind that in New York City, taxis charge for being stopped and even for slow traffic.
There are also a lot of user complaints about app crashings.
Availability: Arro operates in New York City and other big cities of the US including Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, San Francisco. If you are a European reader and need a ride in London, you can download the Arro app.
⚠️ With a letter to their driver partners, Via announced that they will stop their New York City rideshare service starting on December 20, 2021.
Via is a TransitTech platform that powers cost-effective, convenient, and equitable mobility. They recently made a partnership with May Mobility to provide autonomous vehicles mobility services in major cities of the US.
What differentiates Via from other rideshare companies is that the cars take passengers from designated pickup points and drop them off at destinations.
What we like:
Via rates are really competitive, if you haven't tried it yet, you can use our promo code and get free credit.
What we don't like:
Because of the pandemic, Via switched from shared rides to private rides. Very similar to other transportation companies, Via is facing a labor shortage.
Via drivers have decreased their hours, or are working other gigs.
Availability: New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C
Uber is one of the rideshare options in New York. According to statistics, in October 2021 the San Francisco headquartered company had 73.1% of the ride hailing market share in NYC, while Lyft had 26.8% and Via only had 0.02%. For trips between Manhattan and JFK International Airport you can also book Uber copter.
What we like:
Uber offers a wide selection of rides options. When using the Uber app in New York, you can request:
Finally, if you are looking for a NYC wheelchair transportation service, Uber is the right choice thanks to Uber Wav
Driving for Uber in New York is a great opportunity to make money with an easy gig that you can do in your spare time. You need a special license from the TLC (Taxi and Limousine Commission) to drive with Uber in New York City. However, there are no complex vehicle requirements.
Uber driver fees in NYC represent 20% of the fare. As an independent contractor, you are responsible for paying taxes based on your Uber income. You also have to factor other common expenses such as gas and car maintenance.
Your job success is based on your ability to work during the peak hours and finding a way to save money.What we don't like:
Uber NYC rates are subject to surge pricing. Recently, the two main ride hailing apps had to face a labor shortage.
The demand for rides continued to outpace supply. Uber prices in NYC were inflated prices. Additionally, wait times were above our comfort levels. Many NewYorkers recently switched from ride sharing apps to yellow cab rides.
To mitigate the driver shortage, Uber reached an agreement to list New York City taxis on its app.
Uber said it expects to launch the feature later this spring. The deal between Uber and taxi technology system provider Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT taxi in NYC) will give yellow taxi drivers higher fare volume and Uber passengers more choice.
Availability:Nationwide
Lyft is the best alternative to Uber in NYC.
What we like:
Lyft uses a system of upfront fares. This means that you will always know the price of your ride before requesting it.
If you are new to the ride sharing platform and are looking for free rides in NYC, you can use our promo code to get free credit to use in your next ride.
What we don't like:
Tens of millions of trips worldwide are made by Uber and Lyft drivers each day, the vast majority of which are completed safely. Still, safety has remained a concern for both riders and drivers. Recently, a lot of drivers installed dash cams on their vehicles to feel safer on the road.
Very similarly to Uber, Lyft recently faced a driver shortage.
Availability: Nationwide
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At BestReferralDriver we like to help our readers save money. Have you heard about OBI?
The Obi app is one of the best cab fare estimators in NYC.
OBI is free. The handy app is available to download on iOS and Android devices. There are over 11 million cars in the OBI global network.
Whether you need a ride around New York city or from or to the airports, the app will show you all the available rideshares in NYC, taxis and car services available in your area so you can compare the rates in your market and book the ride directly from the app.
Keep in mind that while providing you with an upfront pricing, the OBI app cannot take into account any promotional discounts you may have with the ride providers.
We recommend that you read our guide on the best taxi fare calculators.
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We compared Uber versus Taxis in NYC. On one hand, Uber rates are subject to surge pricing and riders might have to wait longer when demand exceeds supply.
NYC cab rates are established by the city authority.
However, Uber prices do not change between cruising and stop-and-go traffic, while taxis apply different rates based on speed. Take a look at our article Uber vs Taxi.
We live in a digital era, but if you want to pay for your ride with cash, do not worry. In New York City you can pay your taxi service in cash or you can use your credit card or debit card. However, most cab drivers accept only major credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard and Discover.
New York is one of the most important markets for the company. As of today, Uber has 80,000 drivers in New York City alone.
As of today, if there is no surge/prime time the average Uber cost from JFK to Manhattan is $89 for an Uber X, Uber XL $99, and $95 for an Uber confort.
👀 Related Article: Uber at JFK
Taxi drivers should be tipped 10% of their fare, which should be calculated, while limousine and livery drivers, on the other hand, should be paid no less than 15% because their services are usually more luxurious.
👀 Related Article: Taxi in San Francisco
Now you know everything about the taxi, cab and rideshare apps in New York. Next time you need to call a taxi in NYC don’t put your thumb up, install one of these apps instead.
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