The only loser in that case is Uber. Uber has made most existing minicab firms step up their game - quite a few were experimenting with apps before Uber arrived

The only loser in that case is Uber. Uber has made most existing minicab firms step up their game - quite a few were experimenting with apps before Uber arrived, but now almost all but the one man shops have apps (in addition to phone operators), text messages on arrival, car tracking, etc... I'd be surprised if Uber can't find a way to make it profitable here, it's a long established market and they're not /that/ much cheaper, if at all, than the competition - unless the minicab industry is simply one which doesn't scale.