This is a totally personal view of the situation but a blog is here to share your feelings so here we go...
I am a taxi driver so of course not so fond of Uber...I have to recognize that the idea and concept has some good points...Their system is easy to use if you have a mobile, they give you sweets and a bottle of water...You can give them some feedback about the driver...They were really clever to use new technology to find customers! And I have to admit that for example in Paris, the taxis have a bad reputation (dirty old car, nasty drivers ripping you off, not available....) but I get upset as all decisions are made in Paris and because of Parisians taxis!!! Everyone tell me that all over France (except big cities) the customers are happy with the local taxi service...so why do we have to suffer from their bad attitude??? I definitely think that the gouvernment should change the taxi regulations so we can be more "updated".
For me the biggest problem with Uber is the insurance!!! The gouvernment decided Uber was illegal so how a can a driver be insured for taking people around if it is not legal???
So they are not insured, if an accident happens, the insurance will not pay!! Think about it!
Also to be a taxi driver you need a virgin criminal record (not needed for Uber drivers), so you might also end up with a crazy freak, a rapist, a murderer...
Last week they caught a Uber driver without a driving licence!!!
They do not check properly who is working for them!
Of course they can be cheaper, no VAT, no tax, no training, no equipment, no insurance...
A lot of my colleagues are also against VTC (luxury tourism drivers) even if a competition to the taxis, I think they are a good option for people who do not want to use taxis in Paris. It is also a different service with really nice cars which we can not always offer as our cars are also used for medical transfers etc and we do not use limousines for that!
VTC have now an official status so now have a training and are insured.
I am not against competitors, just want it to be regulated by some clever, fair rules and it to be safe for people to use!