I'm not sure what to think about Uber, the on-line taxi booking service. It offers a very convenient way of getting a taxi, and (if what you read is true) at less cost than your conventional black cab.
The black cab guys are (of course) not impressed as their business gets taken off them, and they are kicking off about safety, un-registered drivers etc., but the bottom line is.. the bottom line of course. They are not getting as much money as they used to, and no-one likes that. One interview with a driver ended up with him admitting that he is quite well paid (or was), so do I feel sympathy with him?
In my own field of work (IT), we have been undercut by lower paid Indians for years, resulting in some companies employing more Indians than Brits, and my initial reaction was to assume they were lower skilled than us clever locals, but I have tempered those thoughts to admitting that they are likely to be as skilled, but definitely lack the experience of real life work. However, even that is probably incorrect now, because they have gained quite a bit of experience.
The fact is though, that IT salaries have been lowered by this use of cheaper labour, and that's the way of the world, so unfortunately I do think that the cabbies are going to have to get their own on-line booking system, lower their prices and get used to it.
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