[kelnos]

Not the parent you're responding too, but -- yes, exactly this. I rarely took taxis pre-Uber because the drivers were surly, the pricing difficult to predict, cars impossible to hail, and dispatchers (if you could even reach them on the phone) useless. If you called for one and they actually agreed to send you one, you'd be waiting at least 20 minutes, and often after 40 minutes you'd finally realize they were never coming. Oh, and don't forget the frequent "sorry, the credit card machine is broken" bullshit lie, and the annoying fumbling for cash and getting change.

I'm sure I don't need to enumerate how Uber/Lyft fixed all of these problems nearly perfectly. Sure, many cities have apps for their taxi services now, but they're nearly universally inferior and don't fix all of these problems, at least not to my satisfaction.

Realistically, though, not using Uber for me means driving everywhere. Including the stress of traffic, the stress of finding parking, the stress of wondering if someone is going to smash my car windows, and the stress of ensuring I'm sober enough to drive when I want to go back home. I'll pay quite a bit to avoid that stress. I get that there are some people who won't, or can't, but all that means is that Uber's addressable market will be smaller when they charge enough to be profitable.