Taxis are generally allowed to pick up anyone anywhere. Most cities also have a category for car services which are only allowed to pickup pre-booked rides. T

Taxis are generally allowed to pick up anyone anywhere. Most cities also have a category for car services which are only allowed to pickup pre-booked rides. The licensing for these is generally a lot cheaper and not limited in anyway. >What prevented someone from operating a for profit ride program even before Uber without a medallion? Nothing and lots of companies do it.