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> Upper middle class people used them as discretionary entertainment vehicles but Uber had a substantial lower class population using them as necessary transport when working graveyard shifts in locations public transit didn't go.

This is information that suggests that Uber does not compete with public transit

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When I was a child visiting my grandma in a large city in England, we would often take the bus to the supermarket, but use a taxi to come back with the shopping. In the 1990s some local taxi company even had a special phone by the supermarket entrance with a single button to dial to request one.

I think my grandma could easily afford this, but there would have been others considering dragging the shopping onto the bus.

Just a guess but she probably would have taken the buss back if you weren't there? Like, she wouldn't want to bore you waiting for the buss or try to time it shopping with a kid.

I think it was the weight of the shopping. My food would have increased what needed to be carried, but I was too young to be much use carrying it.

The point is taxis supplement and can replace public transport for low-income or unable-to-drive people in some situations — not necessarily every day.

The cost of owning a car dwarfs the cost of an occasional taxi ride.

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