Came here to past just that. Also since the advent of Uber, local taxi services got a fire lit under them, and now many have their own app with up front pricing and route planning.
Here in London (obviously YMMV) black cabs have an app, but they're also still routinely doing things like pretending their card machine isn't working. Not saying that people should user Uber / Lyft etc, just that all private transport is a bit shady.
> pretending their card machine isn't working
"Bummer, I don't carry cash" tends to fix this quickly.
Not really. Some drivers will insist on driving you to an ATM.
At which point you file a complaint with TFL.
I've had that experience of "broken credit card machine" in multiple countries including US, France, and Italy. That's why I use Uber when I can. I don't want to feel kidnapped by a taxi driver who insists in driving to an ATM.
This happened to me, but the ATM wasn't working. Suddenly their credit card machine started working again.