> in a way that benefitted everyone

I can definitely get aboard the taxi hate train, but do bear in mind that there has been a higher incident of sexual assaults tied to uber drivers over taxi drivers - it's not a free win for everyone, they broke both rules intended for regulatory capture and those intended for public safety.

This is counter to my experience. Every one of my female friends prefers Uber to taxi's because they feel much safer. They've all had at least one taxi incident where they were afraid for their well being but haven't had a single one with Uber despite using Uber far more.

This makes sense to me because it's far easier to track down the an Uber driver than a taxi driver.

I'd love to see the statistics. That aside, the taxi industry collects zero feedback from customers on their drivers, so taxi drivers had no incentive to be polite, keep their vehicles clean, etc. The worst uber driver I've had was about on par with the best cab drivers.

Not sure about other jurisdictions, but in Chicago, you can call 311 to report a taxi driver. Just need the cab number. I called a few times when cabs nearly struck me as a pedestrian in a crosswalk with a walk signal. Couple of them, I was close enough that I was able to smack a window. Don't know if anything ever happened from those complaints, you dont get feedback after a complaint.

> higher incident of sexual assaults tied to uber drivers over taxi drivers

citation with statistics? I don't know what world you lived in, but there was no lack of local news stories involving crimes by taxi drivers pre-ridesharing and there is a reason why taxi drivers were commonly suspects on crime drama shows like Law&Order.

The lack of meaningful comparison in every article on the topic always bugged me. I'd believe Uber was worse. I'd believe Uber was better. I'm reading your article partly because I want to know which.

Don't forget that Uber is operating at a huge loss. (And it seems they can't even get rid of the competition that way.)

These are good times for the consumer, but of course the situation won't be this way forever.

Not necessarily true. Uber the company maybe operating at a loss but rides are not operating at a loss AFAIK. Kind of like Amazon in its earlier days, where they reinvested their revenue in growth.

Could be true, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a clever accounting trick.

There are no real magical accounting tricks. At the end of the day (quarter) you will be forced to account for your cashflow. Cashflow always gives the at the moment reality of the company. Before folks reply - Amazon doesn't count. Amazon is an enigma.