Pirate taxi

Illegal taxicabs, sometimes known as pirate taxis, are taxicabs and other for-hire vehicles that are not duly licensed or permitted by the jurisdiction in which they operate. Most major cities worldwide require taxicabs to be licensed, safety-inspected, insured as for-hire vehicles and use taxi meters and there may also be requirements that the taxi driver be registered or accredited. However, many unlicensed cabs are in operation. Illegal cabs may be marked taxi vehicles (sometimes referred to as "speedy cabs"), and others are personal vehicles used by an individual to offer unauthorized taxi-like services. Illegal cabs are prevalent in cities with medallion systems, which restrict the number of legal cabs in operation. Since their introduction in 2009, vehicles affiliated with transportation network company Uber have been classified as illegal taxicabs in some jurisdictions.

In Singapore, illegal taxicabs are called "Pa Wang Chia".

Crowdsourced taxis
Crowdsourced taxis are run by a transportation company called Uber, Grab and Lyft. These companies develop, market, and operate the mobile apps, which allows consumers to submit a trip request which is then routed to sharing economy drivers. Since Uber's launch, several other companies have emulated its business model, a trend that has come to be referred to as "Uberification".

Many governments and taxi companies have protested against Uber alleging that the use of unlicensed, crowd-sourced taxi drivers were unsafe and illegal. Uber operates and functions as a taxi service company for the public by dispatching drivers to provide transportation services to passengers who pay Uber mileage-based fees and surcharges through credit card information kept on file by Uber. The taxi industry has pushed to have Uber treated the same as taxi companies, who face public safety requirements under the law ranging from how old vehicles on the road can be to how much they can charge or how many passengers allowed per vehicle and how much insurance they must carry.