Comment by jdeibele
You could but there are multiple reasons why Uber dethroned taxis and probably the most important ones are that you get a route to your destination and a fixed price to get there.
My first trip to Paris many years ago, I felt that I was getting the "scenic tour" to my hotel from the airport but I wasn't sure where I was and certainly didn't know the best way between the two. There were other variations in other cities.
For a while, I lived near an airport and taxi drivers would be angry because they'd waited a long time to do a short ride and now would have to go back to the end of the line.
The parent post made the contention there are no other options.
And according to other comments here, the "fixed price" isn't actually true - it appears some ride-share apps will add fees at the conclusion of the ride.