A lot of those who used to drive for minicabs now drive under Uber's banner. However, for the last 30 years at least, in London there has always been the disti

A lot of those who used to drive for minicabs now drive under Uber's banner. However, for the last 30 years at least, in London there has always been the distinction between the more loosely regulated (and cheaper) minicabs with the more expensive Black Cabs providing a better service. With the advent of Uber and the like, minicab services have been the most under pressure since Black Cabs have officially sanctioned advantages that minicabs/Uber don't, such as using bus lanes, and actually knowing where they're going (rather than using a GPS). Also, they are more spacious than almost all ordinary vehicles and can accommodate you and up to 5 of your mates/family + luggage for the price of 1. In contrast a typical yellow taxi in NY has a tiny amount of space for the passenger, is usually upholstered with ripped plastic, and the driver is fresh off the boat, and a bit lost. So the improvement Uber offered over the prevailing options was much greater in NY and SF than in London.