Idk the prices on Lyft are still usually pretty reasonable in my experience, especially if you have a Lyft Pink subscription which also gives you free Citibike rides among other benefits. At the very least you can see what you'll be paying before you call the ride so there are no surprises and you're pretty much guaranteed to have a car at your location in a few minutes that will take you anywhere in the city (crucial if you live outside Manhattan like most do). Not to mention the routine discrimination demonstrated by taxi drivers.

If you're white and live in Manhattan then yeah, yellow cabs are probably the better option but for everyone else the rideshare apps win out.