It's only accelerated when Uber came aroudn.  It is illegal for taxi drivers to discriminate against their passengers, but since Ubers are independent contractors, I heard they are even worse at discriminating. 

Plus, they can cancel rides with a press of a button.  They can cancel a ride the moment they see you.

Hell yah, it's a thing.

When I heard about this miraculous rideshare app that can hail me a cab from the smartphone, I thought all my problems were over.    Yes, catching a taxi is almost impossible as a black person in this country.   I can still hear the obnoxiously loud lock on taxicabs as I approach the cars.  After a while, you learn to not take any taxis.  

Then I noticed that Uber isn't that much different.  The driver can still cancel you when they show up.  They make all kinds of reasons.  They aren't going in that direction.  They wanted to finish the shift and they didn't mean to pick you up.  or the most common; no explanations at all.  Just cancel and drive off.  

Now I am a driver.  Hehehe.

You must be referring to this article:

Ubering While Black

So, yeah..it's a thing. :)

Uber Is Quietly Terrible For Women And Black People: Study

What do you mean?  Are you asking if the phrase is used?  or are you asking if Uber drivers are racist?