taxis

Lower prices would mean that they are constantly operating at a loss against traditional taxis and other competitors or apps.

If taxis drive more, they move more people too (who would use a private car otherwise).

At the end of the day, taxis don't drive around London with a bale of hay in their trunk like they're supposed to.

It's disingenuous to compare air travel to either hospitality or taxis, because 1.

Uber could just as easily be a big company with a fleet of cars, or a service that lets nice taxis connect with fares.

I know many people (myself included) who never used or would have considered using taxis but now use uber all the time.

Loads of people I know who would never take 'normal' taxis now use Uber.

Uber tends to massively increase the market for taxis.

I'm more intrigued by what (if anything) happens to the Uber drivers that venture to pick up rides where apparently taxis dare not.

Of course it did -- public transportation, the alternative to mass widespread use of taxis/private cabs most certainly dies in most of the US because of a lack of funding.

I have been using taxis for 20 years now - it usually goes like this - I order the car to come to my departure address and take me to my destination.

The point is transportation is something we all require and should be provided by the public (it already is in the form of roads, but that's not good enough): taxis are a crappy but elastic solution that's there to fill in the gaps.

Uber "disrupted taxis" by disregarding the law, removing protections for both passengers and operators, and shifting risk on to operators while shifting profit margins to management.

But the author is asking for a more general "how can we disrupt the airline industry the way Uber disrupted taxis?" As with any startup, first ask "what is the need you're satisfying" - Need more affordable, more convenient fast travel from point A to point B.

Taxis here, while cheap, are dirty, unsafe and unreliable.