It used to be even worse before the introduction to Uber/Lyft in the city. I'm glad the corrupt taxi industry is forced to change, their shenanigans have bled a lot of money from consumers.
Welcome to being a vocal user of mass transit, like I am. I have no vehicle and daily use bus-based public transit and have done so in multiple countries on this planet. With a handful of exceptions, riding the bus (or rail, if available) has been clean, on time, safe, and enjoyable. Yet every time I relate any story I have from mass transit, I am told that I must be wrong or deluded because the recipient of my story rode transit and had a bad experience. Therefore, my using public transit means that I will, inevitably, be shot, mugged, harassed, delayed, or otherwise inconvenienced or irritated.
I think that both you and the person to whom you are replying simply have different life experiences. I've taken taxis--normal taxis, not "Uber-as-a-taxi"--in those same countries and they have been clean and safe, though I do not take them hardly at all.
Anecdotes are a bad thing to get riled up over. Your experience differs. You do not need to call someone a fool or belittle what he or she has experienced simply because yours differs.
You tried to defend this statement.
Yet I live in northern Germany, Taxis are less than 10% more expensive than a comparable uber, have better service, are faster, and cleaner.
I can order taxis via phone or a neat app (actually, there’s a bunch of them), basically anyone with a drivers license can start their own taxi company (so there is already a free market), and yet uber refused to comply with the market regulations (they need insurance for the cars).
Your route is shown in the app when planning, you can pay via the app before the trip with taxi, and they often even offer to carry your bag up to your room at your destination.
"Taxis suck, globally." is objectively false.