I somewhat agree with you - but then there's the insurance and license question. I admit that I'm not a fan of that company and couldn't care less about their

I somewhat agree with you - but then there's the insurance and license question. I admit that I'm not a fan of that company and couldn't care less about their service. But IF (I don't know. Not a lawyer, no expert) the majority of their drivers aren't covered by their insurance in case of 'commercial' accidents, then yes! they are far less safe than regulated services. On top of that Germany (because that's what the thread started out with) requires people to have a special driving license (That is NOT a taxi license. If you drive a bus or anything where you transport people from A to B for money, you're supposed to have that extended license). And that is a good thing. It checks (every 5 years, because that thing expires) that - you're fit (physically.. Think "My eyes aren't what they used to be, but hey .. I can still drive" - your police record (you can request a file/except of your police record and you have to turn that in for this application) - you know the area It also limits this license to people >= 21 years old that have their license for > 2 years. So, we're having two things here (ignoring all the "But it's faster, cheaper, more convenient" crap) that relate to safety: 1) IF the drivers aren't insured, you are screwed. That is less safe, demonstrably so. 2) Given that those drivers probably don't have that commercial license: I'd say they aren't vetted as good as the taxi drivers. This is a bit more mushy, but I'd still consider this 'less safe' and the list above points out why. Obviously 2) is specific to Germany, but 1) is a global concern, as far as I understand?