I believe that this entire thread is much ado about nothing.. When I broke my shoulder, 10 years ago and was unable to drive, I was quite dependent on taxis. I found that a courteous "would you please call a taxi?" was sufficient. It did not matter if I was exiting an office building or a department store or a restaurant. A couple of years later, following knee surgery, I found myself in a similar situation; unable to drive. Again, no problem asking someone to "please call a cab for me." Asking someone who works in a building to call a taxi is no big deal. I would do this without any hesitation. It really is about asking for a favor in a courteous manner.