I think the bigger issue was obscure pricing. You had no idea what something would cost in the US. The meter would tell you in the end. You at least had an idea

I think the bigger issue was obscure pricing. You had no idea what something would cost in the US. The meter would tell you in the end. You at least had an idea of how much something would cost with lyft/uber as long as you didn't ask for deviations in the preplanned route. I do know that in south america, it was different. You'd negotiate the pay before you got in so at least you knew if you could afford it or not.