Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by baddox 4204 days ago
> I don't know why everyone is pretending they're providing such an innovative and new service.

I'm not pretending, I'm reporting empirical observations. Uber provides a service that is really nice, and significantly changed the way I transport myself around town. It is empirically an innovative and new service.
1 comments
emodendroket 4204 days ago
It's an iteration on the call-a-cab model, where you use your smartphone instead of getting on the horn and it takes advantage of your GPS. An incremental improvement that, frankly, some other livery service could easily do without breaking the law (I understand that more of them are offering these kinds of apps now).
link
baddox 4204 days ago
> An incremental improvement that, frankly, some other livery service could easily do without breaking the law (I understand that more of them are offering these kinds of apps now).

Yes, there are more of them offering these kinds of apps now, after Uber and its competitors entered the market. That's pretty decent evidence that the laws regulating competition in taxi markets stifle innovation.

link
emodendroket 4203 days ago
You think no one would have thought of the idea of "livery service... but with an app" if there weren't a company just flouting laws about licensing? I think that's unlikely.
link