Uber loses licence to operate in London, will still operate while appealing

On one hand i am glad that a transnational company is getting stopped like that, especially when breaking the rules. they are basically a giant money hoover that comes in and sucks the money offshore with offshore interests as #1 priority.

on the other hand, often it often takes an outsider to disrupt a well established and corrupt market in order to move it forward.

I feel the same way. I can hardly decide whether I dislike Uber or the taxi industry more.

Well, Uber is more exploitative for the drivers and less safe for the riders, so the choice seems clear.

On the other hand Uber has a flashy logo and an app and is sometimes cheaper.

It may be specific to markets.

In Canada's national capital region (Ottawa/Gatineau), where I travel to frequently, I've used Uber extensively even though it's more expensive and less convenient (taxi is right in front of hotel, Uber I have to call and wait for), simply because all cars were in good shape and all drivers were polite and reasonable.

For some reason in that region, majority of taxi drivers:

a) Have cars that are falling apart. Not just significant rust on the car, but frequently wonky suspension, brakes, bearings, etc.

b) They strongly believe they are rally drivers, and traffic lights, pedestrians, let alone bicycles, are their mortal enemies.

Further, all Uber drivers were happy to be Uber drivers, and 70%+ of Taxi drivers were profoundly, existentially unhappy to be Taxi drivers, and would spend entirety of their ride letting me know why.

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Now, in principle, just from theory and articles, I'd agree that Uber feels it is / should be more exploitative of drivers and less safe for riders. I personally just haven't found it that way in practice... :-/