I had a passenger (circa 2015) who was gung-ho about driving for Uber. He'd driven for the taxi company for a few shifts, but couldn't make money. He'd ordered

I had a passenger (circa 2015) who was gung-ho about driving for Uber. He'd driven for the taxi company for a few shifts, but couldn't make money. He'd ordered a taxi to take his family to the airport because they had luggage. He couldn't risk getting a miniature uber that wouldn't be big enough. He'd bought the cheapest black BMW he could find so that he could get Uber Black fares too, and was going through the state's procedures to become a vehicle-for-hire. He whined about how much commercial insurance was going to cost him... Governor Ducey threw us taxi drivers under the bus as soon as he took office in January 2015. (edit2: the NFL's Superbowl was in Glendale, AZ that month.) Arizona has very minimal regulations for taxis and vehicles for hire -- basically a vehicle inspections, background checks for drivers and commercial insurance. Anyone who wants to become a taxi company is welcome, no medallion required. Taxi companies are trusted to take care of the regulations for themselves. Essentially Ducey said he was going to stop enforcement of the state's existing minimal laws pertaining to private transportation until the legislators came up with replacements. Ducey's predecessor, Jan Brewer, vetoed a bill that gave personal vehicles transporting passengers for "ride sharing" an exemption from having commercial insurance - at the time Uber's insurance was "trust us, you're covered". The company I drove for spent a ton of money on their lobbyists to get that bill vetoed, and for a bill that was somewhat-fair for everyone. > Arizona was not always a friendly state for Uber. In April 2014, then-governor Jan Brewer vetoed legislation that would have exempted taxi-hailing companies from insurance regulations imposed on traditional taxis. (I believe this is a typo - the veto'd bill exempted personal vehicles used for "ride share" from the insurance regulations for taxis). The taxi company I drove for is doing fine. They've adapted, and now lease unbranded vehicles that drivers can use with any of the app-based services. Their contracts pay better than the apps' non-surge fares. One of my driver-friends said the scene on the ground is okay - fare volume is down, but quality is up (calls are from people people who really want a ride). (minor edits)