alt Hacker News> There weren't a lot of taxis outside of major cities
What? In my country at least (France), taxis have been a thing even in the countryside for as long as cars existed (or rather, as long as the telephone has). And I'd be very surprised if that wasn't also the case in most of Western Europe.
In fact it's a much easier job when it comes to routing and knowing your passengers' destinations than doing it in a metropolis.
In America, ordering a taxi before rideshare apps was unreliable at best, if you were outside of central parts of major cities.
More than one time I got stuck somewhere and had to walk 4 hours home.