[dmix]

The competition will most certainly result in coupons with free/discounted rides and other benefits like the old Hailo vs Uber days, before Hailo left Toronto...

A large part of Uber's ability to act without regard for public scrutiny was the fact they were frequently the only horse in town for most cities. The tech press in SF is often isolated from this reality.

This competition from Lyft is a great counter balance for Uber, without having to rely on the heavy-handed counter-weight of government-backed last-era taxi conglomerates/unions.