I agree with your comment about laws (the same criticism applies to AirBnB, incidentally). A well run society does not, or shouldn't, simply allow companies to

I agree with your comment about laws (the same criticism applies to AirBnB, incidentally). A well run society does not, or shouldn't, simply allow companies to pick and choose which laws they will follow. As to the remarks in the article about entrepreneurialism, taxi drivers are mostly pretty entrepreneurial. The medallion system that run in US cities and some others keeps drivers from operating as freely as they might, so drivers usually need to work for a medallion holder, and it is the medallion holders who are reaping economic rents, not the drivers. And it is precisely these economic rents that Uber hopes to capture; it is not aimed at benefiting the public or the drivers. Contrary to the medallion system, London has no restriction on the number of taxis allowed to operate. In London, many "black cab" drivers are freelance and own their own vehicle, etc. Very entrepreneurial. They get fares by being the only ones allowed to pick passengers up on the street, and so-called "taxi ranks" but can also use the usual phones, etc. They can also use traffic lanes that are normally restricted to buses, which are less congested. In exchange for these privileges, they have to drive vehicles that are wheelchair accessible, have higher requirements of safety than ordinary passenger vehicles, and must pass more stringent road worthiness tests than required of non-black cabs and private vehicles. They are also restricted in what they can charge, as shown on their meter. The cars using Uber have none of these restrictions and with the advent of the app, being allowed to collect passengers from the street is no longer such an advantage for black cab drivers, depriving them of fares and income, while proving a lower quality service to passengers on average. In the end, I imagine that Uber will have to accede to local regulations, at which point their ability to make money becomes more similar to what exists currently, i.e. not such a big deal after all.