That's one thing that separates older and younger New Yorkers. I've hailed a taxi maybe twice in my life, but I've used a ton of Uber, Lyft, Gett, Via, etc. They have such a mindshare advantage over NYC.

I always heard stories growing up about suddenly getting charged a ton of money for a cab ride, taken on a detour, not being able to get a ride to Brooklyn, black people having trouble getting rides, etc. Switching back to taxis is kind of like getting people under 30 to switch back to cable TV from streaming services if Cable TV suddenly became 1/3 of the price.

Still, a ton of New Yorkers still ride taxis everyday. It's just not as publicized especially if you're new to the city. The main thing I always liked about Uber and Lyft is predictable prices. That is, unless you call a taxi company and ask how much it would cost to take you to the airport which is usually a lot cheaper.