[seanhandley]

I live in rural UK. We have several local taxi companies that reliably turn up within minutes. It's been that way for decades.

The only really interesting value add to Uber was app-centric interactions (as opposed to a phone call), giving the ability to pay by card (instead of cash), and to track the taxi in the app.

Many local taxi firms are using apps too, so those advantages are gone. If this plays out the same in all geographies then Uber has already lost the taxi game.

[matsemann]

Same in rural area I grew up. If anything, the monopoly on being a taxi drivers is what made it possible to get a taxi year round, not just during tourist season. So we could call a cab at a random weekday and probably be the driver's only ride that day. Then they would make most of their money during high season.

Now, lots of randoms dip into the high season using these apps. No longer profitable for the taxi to operate year around. So for the locals there is no longer a reliable taxi service most of the year...