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Maybe if if every time I used a black cab it wasn't one of the worst service experiences I can find I wouldn't be so enthusiastic to move towards companies like Uber, who actually provide a service that doesn't make me fear for my life at times.

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Interesting. I've only ever had good experiences with black cabs. Especially if there are road works or traffic, they seem to know exactly which street to turn down without any sort of aid.

The Uber drivers I've used in London have always used GPS and gone down routes which I would consider slower and more expensive.

My only experiences with normal taxis have all been ones where (a) nobody at the dispatch offices of any of the major taxi companies in my area ever actually picked up, (b) the driver didn't actually speak enough English to be comprehensible, or (c) the driver had no idea where I wanted to go despite referencing local landmarks. Uber and similar services aren't available in my area, but if they were I would use them in a heartbeat, given that their methodology contains reasonably good answers to all three problems.

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