The competition is heating up for Uber Pool and Lyft Line.
Through a collaboration between Curb and Via, two transit apps, users will be able to share rides in city taxis between 110th and 32nd streets in Manhattan beginning Tuesday, June 6.
The ride-sharing option will save users on either app up to 40 percent on their taxi fare, according to Verifone, the company that owns Curb.
Curb has connected with “almost every yellow and green cab” in the city, allowing users to hail taxis from its app, while Via is a ride-sharing app that uses an algorithm to match riders heading in the same direction.
With a limited coverage area for the collaboration’s new launch, green cabs will not yet be included.
“Via’s technology directs passengers to a nearby corner for pick up and drop off, allowing for quick and efficient shared trips without lengthy, out-of-the-way detours,” according to a news release announcing the partnership.
Verifone hopes to expand the service to all of Manhattan and the outer boroughs, Mark Lee, a spokesman for the company said, but a timeframe for an expansion was not immediately known.
This isn’t the first time New Yorkers have had the option to share yellow cabs.
The app Bandwagon connects riders traveling from some of the city’s transit hubs, including Kennedy Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Penn Station.
The NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission also has a “Group Ride” option at certain locations around the city. New Yorkers can find stands for group rides at York Avenue and East 79th Street, Marine Air and Delta Shuttle terminals at LaGuardia Airport and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
TLC Commissioner and Chairwoman Meera Joshi said the commission welcomes the additional ride-sharing option.
“The TLC has always strongly championed group riding in taxis and for-hire cars,” she said in a statement. “This is an area where we believe the private sector can excel in ways that have eluded our own best efforts, and we are pleased to see this new option available to the riding public.”
