The point is that there are so many legal grey areas. Is car pooling now a taxi service, because I pay the driver? At which point is it illegal for me to give

The point is that there are so many legal grey areas. Is car pooling now a taxi service, because I pay the driver? At which point is it illegal for me to give someone a ride? What if they give me services instead of cash, like an hour of web design? What if they give me virtual tokens/karma instead? What if the transportation didn't take place strictly in the city but was half in the city and half outside? Are you really running a taxi service by giving ONE PERSON a lift, or does it have to be several? Does it have to be publicly advertised?