> if they were even just comparable in price to taxis, they would never be able to survive

In the quiet words of the Virgin Mary, [citation needed].

Uber has invested millions of dollars into something. One of those things is, undoubtedly, expanding. One of the facets of expanding is, undoubtedly, lowering fares.

Does this mean that an uber-like service must run at a net loss in order to provide their service? Of course not.