The biggest difference between Lyft/Uber and dispatch taxis isn’t the automation it’s the customer service!

Previously customer service was non-existent. If a taxi didn’t show up, we just got screwed. There wasn’t even anyone to call for the issue. On the apps I instantly get a credit to help ease the burden and the driver has their rating reduced.

For many reasons customer service is very expensive and it’s not yet automated. That’s one big additional variable to keep in mind.