In the UK, I have found Black Cabs to be superior to any taxi system anywhere else in the world, at least any of the places I’ve been to. I mean, the sheer determination it takes to go through “The Knowledge” is just breathtaking. You really have to be committed to the job in order to do that.

In the US, I’ve used rental limos on several occasions, including ExecuCar and BlackLane. They’ve both been great — not a single bad experience there. But there’s a huge leap downward from that to the “black car” service from companies like Uber.

I’ve had occasion to use regular car service from Uber and Lyft, and between the two I think Lyft is better to their drivers and their customers. But that’s like saying one pile of poo is better than another pile of poo, because it stinks less.

I haven’t had any really horrible experiences from either Lyft or Uber, and I have had some really good ones. But it’s a lot more hit and miss. I think they might be better than your average taxi, but only in some places. In others, I suspect your average taxi will still be better.

I do prefer to use local co-op transportation services instead of either Uber or Lyft — like RideAustin here in Austin, TX. I’ll use RideAustin over Lyft or Uber any day of the week.