Re last: That's one of the reasons I hate #Uber. The other ones why I don't call Uber and call more expensive taxis instead are the following:
1. You cannot really call, i.e., telephone an Uber. Call me an old guy, but I prefer this way of communication when I need a #taxi.
2. I'm totally blind, my wife, although sighted, has some eye problems too, and also she doesn't know car makes very well, so "a black Mercedes will be there in three minutes" — that tells us nothing. I'm speaking from a European, especially French perspective, I don't know about other countries too much. An Uber is not a taxi according to the laws, so it cannot park where a normal taxi can, and our current home is one of such places. In practice that means that the Uber in question will drive slowly somewhere near you, and if the driver is attentive or helpful enough, he'll watch for people standing and waiting for him. Once our daughter called an Uber to our address because she urgently needed our help to pick her cat from a hospital after surgery. she got fined because "we didn't show up in time". We did, but can you imagine how many black cars pass by our home?
3. that is a direct consequence of number 1. Taxis have distinct markings on the car which my wife can easily see, also usually the taxi driver calls you (yes, with his real cell phone he calls your cell phone!) telling you that he's here. So either at p. 1 or here at p. 3 you can clearly state in voice that you're blind, and in my case that I have my wife with me, but she also most likely will not discern the car make and the immatriculation number, so dear driver, please find us yourself, we are standing at the door at house number X, Y street.
4. I don't have a guide dog (yet?) and I don't know French laws upon this, but I have two pet cats. Any Uber can refuse to take me in this case, but calling a taxi I can again clearly tell that I need a driver that accepts cats.
So, no Uber for me. I pay more, but I get a far, far better service. @JonathanMosen