Were you going to NYC (or anywhere in NY)? NY and NJ do not have a reciprocity agreement, so taxis from NYC are allowed to charge 2x the fare between NYC and EWR and the same for NJ taxis to NYC. Uber/Lyft can pickup / dropoff in either state and don't appear to operate under the same restrictions.

Lyft/Uber drivers from NJ can't pick up from NY. Whereas NY drivers can pick up from both states. NJ drivers have to drive back empty.

I had to cancel a trip from Fort Lee to Stony Brook when I discovered the driver had NJ plates.

They don't know where they're going until they arrive at location.

LAX to downtown: Uber and Lyft are cheaper in the middle of the day between lunch and the evening rush hour, and again after 9 or 10p M-Th.

Early morning through rush hour, and evening rush hour: 2-5x more expensive than a cab, depending on surge pricing.

Holidays: 3-20x more expensive than a cab, depending on surge. I have seen multiple Uber and Lyft fares that would have cost more than the plane ticket did.

At LAX you can walk 10-15 minutes to a hotel and get an Uber for way less than at the terminal.

You can walk out of LAX? Safely? I didn't think the entry road had sidewalks. Or is there some other route?

And, given that those hotels have shuttles, why would you walk? Just take the hotel's bus. (Or are you feeling that that's not cool, because you're going there not to stay there, but just to take an Uber?)

On the lower level, Century Blvd has a sidewalk and crosswalks on the north side of the road. I walked it with my wife just two months ago, although not to catch an Uber, but instead to get our car from long term parking.

Why are you so incredulous that anyone might choose to walk?

Because, in my limited memory, I didn't remember there being a sidewalk from LAX to, say, Century outside the airport. I don't have a problem with walking that far. I have a problem with walking that far, in traffic, when I don't remember there being a sidewalk. I had assumed that there wasn't one.

For example, walking into SLC airport is not trivial to do. It's designed to be driven to, and that only (or, now you can take the train). I mean, you can walk along the bike trail from the southeast corner of the airport, then work your way through the parking lots of the air cargo places, but I don't think there's a sidewalk from the bike trail to the terminal. And that's the best walking option at SLC.

[Edit: A bit of time in Google Maps shows a sidewalk the majority of the way in SLC, but not all of it.]

But the taxi driver will be paid to drive back home, even if he can't pickup a fair.

It's cheaper for the customer, but Uber drivers get screwed in the long term.

I commute in NJ and used ride hailing apps until it was just cheaper to use taxis. I wouldn't use any liaison service at an airport, they're going to charge an arm and a leg for the purported convenience.

Edit: I'm not doxxing myself, sorry. I'm within commuting distance of NYC.

Maybe if you stated what city/region, your anecdote would be more convincing. NJ is a small state but that's still nearly 10,000 square miles.