[JoshTriplett]

> I guess my point overall is that Uber offers a familiar service no matter what country I happen to be in.

This is exactly why I use it as well. I see advertisements for a local "taxi app", and ignore them because I have no expectation of consistency. I can expect that Uber will work the same way with the same level of quality everywhere.

[kuschku]

Do you want a global monopoly? Because this is how you get a monopoly.

Expect a taxi market similar to the current US ISP market soon.

[dogma1138]

Taxi's are already a defacto monopoly regardless of how many taxi operators there are in a given region.

Most countries/cities have one taxi driver union/authority which is responsible for licensing drivers and cabs as well as usually setting fares.

If anything Uber and various direct bid/reverse bid car hire services actually break down the monopoly.

Now I don't like Uber for many reasons, the primary one being that it sets a horrible example of how to run a multi billion dollar business involving 100,000's of people around the world without having actual employees. I also don't like the fact that Uber in many places actually externalizes the risk to its drivers because while France might fine Uber if you as a driver are caught operating a car service without the proper license you'll be in hot water and I somehow doubt that Uber's onboarding process has a huge warning to drivers and for the most part Uber doesn't seem to do any due diligence or much of it in places where it's illegal for individuals to commercially drive others without a proper license and a criminal background check (I know in the UK Uber doesn't ask you for a commercial license or a DBS).

[JoshTriplett]

> Do you want a global monopoly? Because this is how you get a monopoly.

I want consistently good service, no matter who provides it. I'd love to see more than one company providing that level of service, but I place far less value on that than I do on consistently good service.

I plan to try Lyft as soon as they either get their Android app upgraded for Marshmallow-style selective permissions (which they still haven't done a year after Marshmallow) or they provide a web app.

[kuschku]

As soon as uber has a monopoly, you think they’ll continue their good service?

Because what you’ll get as soon as 2 or 3 companies control the market will be like the ISPs in the US.

Uber and Lyft are going to be the next Comcast, the next TWC; the next ATT, the next Verizon.

[voxic11]

Regulated taxis are already a state enforced monopoly.

[kuschku]

Except, in many regions where Uber is expanding to the government does not enforce a monopoly.

It’d cost me about 50€ to get a commercial drivers license, and I could start my own taxi company that very same day. Commercial drivers license, Commercial insurance, no further regulation.

But Uber is trying to expand into this region.

My service is going to get worse.