On a Saturday night at dinnertime, I get cabs within 5-10 minutes, and I'm (just) outside downtown. Between the individual cab company apps and eCab, Vancouver's taxi services have shaped up a lot. One cabbie even described in detail how their company punished drivers who don't respond reliably to booking requests through the app. Same company told me one time when I called that it would be as fast to book through the app since it all goes into the same system anyway.
I'll credit the threat of Uber with triggering this systemic change, but I never recognize complaints like yours. I get cabs reliably and reasonably quickly even on peak nights.
> I'll credit the threat of Uber with triggering this systemic change
This is a really, really important caveat in your argument. Even the threat of Uber was enough to improve cab services. Now let's actually have ride hailing competition (provided Uber is held to the same standards as taxis.)
As for cab drivers, I've heard no shortage of complaints from friends and family about cabs (be it the money, service, availability, etc.) Living just outside downtown I suspect is much better for getting cabs than living downtown, as cab drivers are heading back downtown for more pickups anyway quite often (especially on Saturday nights.)
Never mind trying to just hail a cab off the street - I've been denied a few times based on where I was going, which I'm pretty sure is illegal. There's no legitimate argument against ride hailing services like Uber so long as they're operating with the same standards, unless you're a cabbie who stands to lose work.
I'll credit the threat of Uber with triggering this systemic change, but I never recognize complaints like yours. I get cabs reliably and reasonably quickly even on peak nights.