The "approved meter that others were required to use" was for taxis, not limo/towncars. Their GPS units are significantly less opaque than the status quo for l

The "approved meter that others were required to use" was for taxis, not limo/towncars. Their GPS units are significantly less opaque than the status quo for limos (which really comes down to just naming an arbitrary price, or having to pay for a full hour regardless of use). In the Boston case, a lower level regulator with ties to the taxi industry issued the cease and desist, it was his supervisor who removed it, because there was in-fact a basis for using GPS to track time/distance. Why should Uber ask for permission to run a legal business? The city of Boston agrees that their business is legal, and that GPS is OK. They're using commercially licensed drivers with commercial insurance, leveraging a system that existed well before Uber. They're simply making it more efficient for both sides (fill spare capacity with riders who need a car). Their drivers and cars meet all local regulations. Their outspoken opponents aren't doing so for the public good, they're doing it because they represent an entrenched power who is threatened. Legal businesses don't have to ask for permission, and shouldn't be asked to.