^

The issue is finding a driver in the area where you want to picked up.

For example, I live outside of the official L.A. coverage area but as a driver, I can choose to be on-line at home and if someone requests a ride within about 5-10 miles, I'll get a notice.

I think the biggest difference is that if you are outside the area and no drivers happen to be on-line, you are stuck. If you are within the area, they will dispatch the nearest driver even if it's a decent distance.

So in other words, I think they take responsibility for finding a driver within their published boundaries but can't guarantee anything outside of them.