> Try taking a taxi in the bay area to understand a truly dysfunctional taxi system.

Absolutely true. And it's worth noting that Gavin Newsom got his start in politics as SF Taxi Commissioner.

It's hard to estimate the scale of under-the-table dealings or the amount of money taxi companies skimmed from the system before Uber came in and imposed order.

Uber essentially provided oxygen in a market that had been strangled for so long by corrupt public/private deals.