Regulation protects customers and workers. It ensure travellers don&#x27;t get over charged compared to other forms of public transport, it makes sure the driver isn&#x27;t a criminal, it ensures the vehicle is within certain standards, it prevents a free-for-all that would push the driver&#x27;s income below reasonable levels.<p>I like the libertarian&#x2F;wild west mindset of the internet. It doesn&#x27;t however lend itself to integrated public transport systems - of which, private hire taxis are a part.<p>Plus, it is replacing local businesses with a multinational that will probably send its profits to an island (like lots of other technology companies), rather than contributing to local economies. I think it is the next Groupon though, so at some point it may pop.