The real clincher is that one of the biggest reasons that Uber is able to out-service the taxi companies is that it is not hampered by the same regulations, just as an illegally-download torrent may seem more convenient that a legally-distributed copy.
This is one of my big beefs with Uber: they ridicule taxi operators as inefficient while their own ability to out-maneouver them is predicated on their ignoring the regulations that taxis are subject to. In effect, they attempt to convey the idea that the taxi industry is corrupt and inefficient while resisting the push to have themselves subject to the same restrictions.
To create a synthetic analogy, imagine a race where all the competitors had to wear lead boots but one competitor was able to wear normal shoes. Now imagine that competitor heaping scorn upon the competition for being slow, while simultaneously rejecting any and all efforts to level the playing field, claiming that their victory is proof enough that they should be accepted.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
