uber vs. taxi from lax

(Los Angeles, CA).  Previously I wrote a blog about my experience taking uberBlack to LAX.  I mistakenly believed that you couldn't take uberX to LAX, which is cheaper than the Black version.  Since then, I've learned that you can  take uberX to LAX; it's just that you can only take uberBlack (and above) from LAX, for various legal reasons.  Unfortunately when I tried to call a uberBlack call at LAX, the wait time was usually quite long so it was easier to hop into a waiting taxi.

Due to the above limitation, my current habit is to take uberX to LAX for longer trips and then take a taxi home when I land in LAX. (For short trips, I will usually drive myself and park at the Park n' Fly.)  I did this on several occasions for business trips in the last several months and the comparison in the service between uberX and taxi drivers was quite glaring which compelled me to write this post.

Simply put, the service from taxi drivers from LAX is generally pretty horrible.  The cars are usually run-down and smelly; whereas uberX cars tend to be pretty new and clean.  The last taxi I was in actually had a broken headlight and I felt as if the entire car was falling apart around me.  The drivers usually have no idea where they are going and/or do not have reliable map apps or gps systems.  Fortunately I always know where I'm going in my hometown.  But can you imagine if you were a visiting tourist? 

But most importantly, and what I find more offensive, is that I always end up paying more for this worse service and experience.  A uberX ride to LAX is probably around $25-30.  A taxi ride from LAX has ranged from $45-75, depending on traffic and the shadiness of the driver.

If the taxi industry truly wants to compete with uber, then it should  improve its own service standards, and not simply try to snuff out much-needed competition.

What has your experience being like?