That can be both good and bad. Good because you get a ride very quickly. It's bad because you have no idea... * Who your driver is * How long h/she's been

That can be both good and bad. Good because you get a ride very quickly. It's bad because you have no idea... * Who your driver is * How long h/she's been driving * If there's a camera in the taxi (for your own protection) * Whether that's being monitored or just disconnected * How well the car is being maintained * Whether the driver has insurance and actually knows how to get to your destination * Whether h/she's from New Jersey (I kid, I kid... mostly). Taxis are regulated, ideally, for this reason. I think drivers should have the right to apply to become a taxi driver, but then they have to maintain certain standards -- especially safety, competence and fee structure -- or what we end up would be an order of magnitude worse than what we have.