It certainly seemed that way at first, now I'm not convinced. They seem to be recapitulating most or all of the bad behaviors. And more expensive often enough I have to check, used to just assume it would be comparable or better unless obvious reason for shortage.
Depends on the area, but qualified yes - many local cab companies now have apps (in response to uber) and some of those will give decently accurate quotes. In some places e.g. airport fares are fixed rate anyway, so you can just check.
