I think this legislation is a tacit admission that those standards don't make sense. If the taxi regulations had any benefit, then there would be something bet

I think this legislation is a tacit admission that those standards don't make sense. If the taxi regulations had any benefit, then there would be something better about taking a taxi than taking an Uber. But in the real world (especially in Massachusetts) taxis completely suck. From the user experience point of view, Uber has done a great job of regulating itself. So the government has decided not to make things worse by putting the regulations on Uber. The taxi owners complain that this is unfair. The government says "you're right, have some money."