[toasted]

Off-topic - but currently in India and the uber experience is absolutely amazing.

The handful of times we have used taxi drivers, none of them can find the place where we are staying even with written directions in english and in hindi or even with a hindi speaking person instructing them via the phone. There is always some niggle over pricing and whatever you pay them they claim you are shortchanging them.

With uber they go to the right place EVERY TIME, there is no haggling at all, they dont try to angle for tips but are very grateful if they get tipped. It is a complete gamechanger for travel in these areas.

[daughart]

In Boston it's practically the opposite experience. Cabbies almost always know exactly where I'm going and the fastest way to get there, because they've logged the hours necessary to learn Boston's confusing street system. Uber drivers are usually flipping between at least 2 GPS systems, and frequently get lost, confused, and turned around. The rider experience has really dropped off now that any Joe can make a few bucks as a part-time Uber driver.

[majani]

Yes, in 3rd world countries, Uber is an improvement of several orders of magnitude over traditional cabbies and cab companies. Even moreso for tourists. For this reason I think they'll hold steady in these regions even if there is a big change in their economics in the future.