There are times when you need door to door service, especially late at night and after a night of drinking. For cities such as San Francisco and New York, taxis serve this crucial transport service without costing an arm and a leg. This is not the case in LA.

Taxis are not an economical way of getting around, further they are hard to find when you are not at the airport. There needs to be more taxis (green if possible) and the fares need to come down.

From the taxicabs.la.org website, "There are nine franchise taxi operators in the City of Los Angeles who operate more than 2300 taxis."
http://www.taxicabsla.org/
Fares (ordinances 177844 & 181745 , and Board Order No. 063, effective 10/01/06 and 7/16/11)

The following taxicab rates became effective on 7/16/11 as authorized by the Board of Taxicab Commissioners in B.O. 063

All Passengers Ride for Price of One
$2.85 flag drop (first 1/9th mile).
$0.30 for each additional 1/9th mile ($2.70 per mile).
$0.30 for each 37 seconds waiting/delay ($29.19 per hour).
$46.50 flat fare for trips between LAX and downtown.
Area bounded by Alameda St., Santa Monica Fwy., Harbor Fwy., Cesar E. Chavez, Union Station and Chinatown.
$4.00 surcharge for all trips originating at LAX.
$15.00 minimum fare for trips originating at LAX (In addition to the $4.00 surcharge).