[mjr00]

> because taxi services were optimised to take people to/from transportation hubs (e.g. airports, trains) and hotels, and that's how I used them.

This is why your experience is so different from mine. If you're just using them to get around, during the day, going between major traveler landmarks (airport, hotels, tourist destinations), yes, taxis are fine.

Almost all of my taxi/Uber use is as a local. I spent way too many nights in my 20s drunkenly wandering around downtown at 2-3am trying to find a cab to get home.