Obviously it's big enough for both taxis and (whatever splitting rides long-distance is called, if not also ridesharing) to have continued to exist, but in gene

Obviously it's big enough for both taxis and (whatever splitting rides long-distance is called, if not also ridesharing) to have continued to exist, but in general I agree with you. Uber's ubiquitousness in this day and age has less to do with a high unmet demand for people using cars to get places, and more for demand to get to places cheaply. There's definitely a niche, but it's nowhere near the size that Uber's operating at now; so if they're reliant on that volume or higher for the margin they need they're in for some bad news. Once the price goes up the market will be ripe for new public transportation efforts and less-VC-saddled competitors to fill the void. I dunno, maybe they'll have more luck in foreign markets. (Though last I read, that wasn't the case either...)