A group of taxi-hailing technology firms is facing a proposed class action lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan over allegations that they worked with Uber to keep fares artificially high across major U.S. cities. The complaint targets Curb Mobility, Flywheel Technologies, Creative Mobile Technologies, and its ARRO subsidiary, accusing them of violating antitrust rules by integrating their booking systems into the Uber platform.
The plaintiff claims this partnership created “uniform or near-uniform pricing” between Uber rides and taxis booked through Uber or the defendants’ apps, affecting millions of riders in cities including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. The companies either declined to comment or did not respond, and Uber, though central to the allegations, is not named as a defendant.
The lawsuit argues that taxi-hailing apps abandoned competition in 2022 when they merged services with Uber, allegedly trading “growing competitive momentum for access to Uber’s scale and revenue streams.” Plaintiff’s attorney Kyle Roche said the suit “aims to restore a fair marketplace and hold the companies accountable.” According to the complaint, the integration enabled Uber to suppress price competition, resulting in higher fares, fewer choices for consumers, and strengthened market power. The filing seeks monetary damages and a court order requiring more competitive conduct in the ride-hailing sector.
