To make my travel expenses more affordable I prefer to use buses or city rail service. I prefer to choose hotels where there are places to walk to nearby. Such as restaurants, malls, nightlife, supermarkets, Seven Eleven type stores, etc. City rail service and bus stops near my hotel is a plus.
Some cities have reasonably (and fairly) priced taxi service but for some places you pay way too much because you are an outsider.
I have no idea what the original question was since it's been removed, probably as an advertisement, but we usually use the local public transportation system. If we have to take a taxi, we use only taxi's registered with the city and licensed. In many years of travel, we've only used taxis about 4 times so I'm no expert but public transportation is not only relatively inexpensive, it's a lot more fun.
Quoting Beausoleil
public transportation is not only relatively inexpensive, it's a lot more fun.
Agreed! Little peek in to the ordinary life of the people who live there were you are just visiting 
In add to the public transportation we have started to use Uber, if we are on a tight schedule or feeling little bit lazy (need to change bus many times etc)
For those planning to use taxis, Uber or Lyft, please note that there are fewer drivers these days and you may have to wait longer for one, or there may be none available. I know from personal experience having tried recently to hail one in several U.S. cities. Please also note that in some cities public transportation schedules have been altered (often reduced) and that in some cities the number of passengers on buses also is limited for social distancing. I returned yesterday from a trip across the United States.
[ Edit: Edited on 05-Aug-2020, 13:51 GMT by berner256 ]
It surely depends on which city and which budget you have.
Has anyone played the New York taxi game? The winner is the one who takes the least number of taxis to get 10 different nationality drivers.
At least in our town, Uber is now pricing according to demand so the price you're quoted may not be the price you're charged. A neighbor was just charged over $160 for a $35 trip recently because of the new sliding scale. Read the fine print . . .
I still prefer public transportation when available and registered taxis when public transport is not available.
Quoting Beausoleil
At least in our town, Uber is now pricing according to demand so the price you're quoted may not be the price you're charged. A neighbor was just charged over $160 for a $35 trip recently because of the new sliding scale. Read the fine print . . ..
Auch. That kind of pricing most likely will decrease Ubers clientele..I am for sure thinking twice of using it if taxi is going to be cheaper 
Back when I was younger, I did use public transportation all the time.
But now, I am in the position of needing ease of transport and I can pay for that (within reason). So when I've gotten off an airplane in Europe after an overnight flight from the US with unwieldy luggage, when I am jet-lagged, sleep deprived and stiff and sore - it is worth it to me to take a taxi rather than a bus or some local transportation. Actually for the last 10 years, because I am traveling with a scooter, I will arrange to be picked up at the airport. The case for my scooter is too big for most taxis. I've happily done that in England, France, the Netherlands and Costa Rica. In Costa Rica I got the driver's card and contacted him later for a whole day's tour.
I've found that lately Uber generally is more expensive than Lyft. As mentioned earlier, the availability of drivers is limited. A Lyft driver told me Tuesday that many drivers are preferring to collect unemployment compensation rather than work, at least until now.
The CARES Act signed into law on March 27 gives states the option of extending unemployment compensation to independent contractors (such us Uber and Lyft drivers) and other workers who were ordinarily not eligible for jobless benefits. Individuals got an extra $600 weekly from the federal government for all weeks of unemployment between April 5 and July 31. This was in addition to the sums they received under state law. According to the Lyft driver, the benefits received were more than what they could have earned while working.
Demand also is significantly lower. I walked around the downtowns of Milwaukee, Portland, Ore., and Sacramento and they were largely deserted, except perhaps for the homeless and a few tourists. Sacramento is California's capital and state offices were closed, with most employees working from home.
In Portland, a taxi driver at Union Station was willing to take me to the airport for whatever I wanted to pay. Since I knew what the usual rate was he gladly accepted. He didn't turn on the meter. These are desperate times for many; and for those who travel during the pandemic these also can be trying times. The usual conveniences that we have come to expect might not be readily available. This includes public transportation where service may be reduced or eliminated. For example, the free shuttle that operates in Portland's expansive Washington Park, connecting the rose garden, Japanese garden, arboretum and zoo, now only runs Friday-Sunday instead of daily.
I continue to travel during the pandemic. To do so, I get tested regularly and frequently for COVID-19 to make sure that I am not an asymptomatic carrier of the virus. I had another test this afternoon, three days after I returned from an 18-day trip across the U.S. using planes, trains and automobiles.