[scott_karana]

Even if you could price "poor area" fares lower, how is that helpful as a taxi driver?

Cab fares don't scale, so working the same time * lower fare = less wage.

[ef4]

No, you price more difficult routes higher, so that they can still be served at all.

[scott_karana]

Isn't the problem already that the areas in question are of lower economic means, so it's not reasonable to put subsidized transit into them?

I doubt they could afford to pay premium cab fare if they couldn't afford regular buses.

[ef4]

But they're already paying for these underground transit options. So there's clearly some combination of pricing and shared routes at which customers can afford it and the providers can still make a living.