> Some, maybe, and many eventually grew to serve taxi companies more than the customers. But not all and probably not most, initially. A lot of regulations and

> Some, maybe, and many eventually grew to serve taxi companies more than the customers. But not all and probably not most, initially. A lot of regulations and the monopoly taxi companies get exist, so that you: - can actually get a ride if you don't live in the city centre - can actually get a ride if you're sick, elderly or disabled, in a car that's equipped to handle you Except taxi regulations don't actually accomplish any of these things. It's well known that if you want to go from Manhattan to Brooklyn you better get in the cab first before telling the driver that, or they'll drive away. Even then, they might demand that you get out anyway. If you look like you might inconvenience the driver, or if you're black, good luck getting them to even pull over in the first place. You can complain of course, by sending a message into the black hole of the taxi regulation bureaucracy, but it's unlikely anything will ever come of it. With an app that allows immediate feed back and user ratings of each driver, drivers are far more accountable to providing a satisfying customer experience than they ever were under the taxi regulations. > If you're the only provider of something your customers need, you can be as evil like you want to them, and they will still buy from you. Yes, like if you've manipulated the local government into making it illegal for anyone else to provide your service unless they buy a multi-hundred thousand dollar taxi medallion.