[SilasX]

Good pointer, but remember, as a general rule:

The more savvy you have to be to avoid getting scammed, the more corrupt the system is.

[mycelium]

You have to be pretty savvy to avoid getting scammed with venture capital.

[EpicEng]

That's hardly the system at work. "The system" attempts to address this problem. Your issue is with the people driving the cabs, not regulation.

[SilasX]

The problem happens systematically and the system fails to correct it because it lacks the proper alignment of incentives that keep it from working against the public.

That's pretty much what corruption is.

Would you say the same of third world traffic enforcement because the system is trying to stop the practice of shaking down motorists?

[EpicEng]

Yeah, that's a good point. The system isn't working, and it is what it is.

[seehafer]

"The system" isn't equivalent to "the intentions of the people who built the system"... it's what actually occurs in every day life.

[debaserab2]

This has been the status quo for some time with taxi cabs, so yes, I'd say regulation is definitely not doing it's job of protecting consumers.