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When Uber is put up to the same scrutiny as taxi companies are (to ensure their drivers are up to the same standard), they refuse to compete and instead of paying the same tax everyone else does and abiding by the same regulations everyone else does, they just leave the market.

Don't misunderstand me, taxi service in my country is horrible, they're useless and rude and service is generally bad, but just because that's the situation, we should try and improve that, instead of allowing companies like Uber to exploit the situation.

I have to agree with this. Uber is its own biggest enemy. Market regulation comes along with it. This is the real danger for them, for now. At least here in Europe.

>Don't misunderstand me, taxi service in my country is horrible, they're useless and rude and service is generally bad, but just because that's the situation, we should try and improve that, instead of allowing companies like Uber to exploit the situation.

I don't really understand this mentality. You don't want to let them exploit the situation by profiting off of making things better for consumers?

I do believe that I as a consumer am entitled to receiving good customer service for the money I pay for. I do understand that sometimes people can have bad days and I don't mind that, consistently horrible service and a bad system irritates me and I think it's not fair, but it is kind of a one-sided world view, and I personally don't permit that to myself.

On the long run this is a financial equation, it might be more comfortable for consumers at the moment to hail a cab with their phones and use their credit cards to pay, receive better service, et cetera, but let's take into account the long term price paid by them. Letting foreign companies exploit both tax and regulatory laws to take as much money out of the country as possible before getting shot down is not a good strategy on the long term. Start-ups can get away with it, because at the end of the day the only thing that matters is that they seem "exciting" and "booming".

The same way we aren't especially happy with the people who got exposed in the Panama Papers, or Donald Trump publicly admitting that he doesn't care and will abuse the system, we kind of have to draw a line. If we all decide to do the same, because laws and taxes are not convenient to our short term goals or let other entities do it, it's just gonna backfire at the consumer on the long term, when infrastructure and lives depend on a government having money. Let us not even mention the whole international tax situation, it being as problematic as it is. (Just look at what's going on with Ireland)

In the UK uber is set up like a local Minicab firm, drivers and cars are licensed. It's still by far the best form to take as I can just get one from my phone, not worry about paying, or receipts, are exactly where the taxi is before it arrives, and get an itemised bill at the end of the month to claim on expenses.

I only want to point out, UBER isn't profiting from anything. They are literally burning money to subsidize their growth.

Travis Kalanick is probably taking home a hefty paycheck, though.