Transportation Tussels

Taxi Magic takes aim at Uber in Dallas with new name and business model

If you listen closely, you might hear the sound of 1,500 Dallas-area taxis driving into the 21st century. On August 6, Taxi Magic officially rebranded as Curb, a new-and-improved app to help you find a ride, track your driver and pay for it all.

If the Curb née Taxi Magic model sounds familiar, that's because it is. Uber and Lyft, the controversial ride-share companies that have Dallas City Hall in a tizzy, do practically the same thing, but with little to no regulation. To remedy that, city officials hope to vote on a new transportation-for-hire ordinance in the fall.

Newly minted Curb CEO Pat Lashinsky says the regulations by which his company already abides give customers added protection, and the new business model allows more choice than ever. Whereas Taxi Magic dealt only with cab companies, Curb will partner with black car and livery services as well to provide a wider range of driving services while still complying with existing city code for transportation companies.

Curb won't use surge pricing like Uber and Lyft. "You are going to pay the same price no matter what time you need a ride," says CEO Pat Lashinsky.

"The last 18 to 24 months have been a really interesting time in our industry. Through our research, we've found that the lack of control and lack of safety with rideshare companies is a big issue for a lot of people," Lashinsky says. "All of our drivers are commercially licensed and undergo full background checks."

Representatives for Uber and Lyft did not immediately return requests for comment on this story.

Curb will work with major cab companies in Dallas, including Freedom Cab, Jet Taxi and industry behemoth Yellow Cab — Uber's not-so-secret nemesis. "Seventy percent of Dallas cabs will be using Curb," Lashinsky says. The company is still in negotiations with other transportation companies for black car services.

Lashinsky is quick to point out that Curb won't use surge pricing like Uber and Lyft, which both raise rates as demand for rides increases. "With Curb, you know you are going to pay the same price no matter what time you need a ride," Lashinsky says.

The catch? Hailing a cab in Dallas just got a little bit more challenging. Although cab drivers were previously free to pick up whistling riders, those that do so while en route to a previously scheduled Curb client will be locked out of the app for five hours.

It's a blow to the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants traveler, but one that's unlikely to cause any real change in the local transportation landscape. It was already extremely rare to hail a cab in the mean streets of Dallas.

"It's more efficient for the passengers and for the drivers," Lashinsky says. "Besides, rideshare companies can't pick up hails anyway."

In addition to Dallas, Curb is also introducing the app in Chicago, Portland, Denver and D.C. this year. It plans to eventually roll it out in all 60 cities where the company operates.

Curb says its safety features appeal to women.

Courtesy photo

Curb says its safety features appeal to women.

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family values

Dallas sees Texas' biggest one-year jump in cost of raising kids

Courtesy of SmartAsset/iStock

Raising a child in Dallas will cost parents over $23,000 this year.

Raising a child is not an easy or inexpensive feat, and a new study has determined Dallas parents are saddled with the second-highest costs for childrearing in Texas, with expenses jumping higher than any other metro statewide since 2025.

SmartAsset's latest report, "Cost of Raising a Child in Major U.S. Metros – 2026 Study," calculated year-over-year changes in the annual cost of raising a child (factoring in childcare, additional housing costs, food, transportation, medical costs and other necessities) in the 48 largest U.S. metro areas. MIT's Living Wage Calculator was used to compare the living costs of a household with two working adults and one child to that of a childless household with two working adults.

Childrearing costs in Dallas-Fort Worth have grown 4.5 percent since last year, totaling $23,340 for a family of three in 2026. That's over $1,000 more than what it took to raise a child in 2025, and it's $1,414 higher than what it took in 2024.

This is how SmartAsset broke down the cost for raising a child in Dallas:

Cost of childcare: $10,736
Cost of food: $1,826
Other expenses: $10,778

Though Dallas has the second-steepest costs for raising a child in Texas, the metro is actually much more affordable than most other places in the U.S.: DFW ranked 39th in SmartAsset's national list of cities with the highest childrearing costs in 2026, making it the 10th most affordable U.S. metro for raising a family.

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont in California topped the list with the highest childrearing costs in the U.S., at $43,171. The cost for raising a child in this California metro soared nearly 11 percent higher since last year.

Memphis, Tennessee ranked dead last as the most affordable U.S. metro for raising a child in 2026. Families will spend less than $20,000 to raise a child in Memphis, only 3.24 percent more than what was needed in 2025.

Raising a child in other Texas metros
It may come as no surprise that Austin is the most expensive place to raise a child in Texas, and it appeared as the 31st most expensive U.S. metro for families. Parents will spend nearly $25,000 to raise a child in the state's capital city, which is $703 higher than it was a year ago.

Meanwhile, San Antonio-New Braunfels is the most affordable metro in the Lone Star State for raising a family, and it's the third-most affordable place for raising a child nationwide. San Antonio parents will spend $21,393, or $448 more than last year, on their childrearing costs.

Houston also ranked among the top 10 most affordable U.S. metros for raising a child, landing in 7th place nationally, with childrearing costs adding up to $22,605 in 2026. That's only $737 more than last year.

The top 10 most affordable U.S. metros for raising a child in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Memphis, Tennessee ($19,922)
No. 2 – Nashville, Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee ($21,216)
No. 3 – San Antonio-New Braunfels ($21,393)
No. 4 – Birmingham, Alabama ($21,684)
No. 5 – Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, Virginia ($22,314)
No. 6 – Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Georgia ($22,470)
No. 7 – Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands ($22,605)
No. 8 – Richmond, Virginia ($22,658)
No. 9 – Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky ($23,270)
No. 10 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington ($23,340)

family dallas fort worth arlington smartasset reports livability

Transportation Tussels

Taxi Magic takes aim at Uber in Dallas with new name and business model

Curb says its safety features appeal to women.

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family values

Dallas sees Texas' biggest one-year jump in cost of raising kids