Mayors of Atlanta and New Orleans: Uber Will Beat the Taxi Industry – Conor Friedersdorf – The Atlantic

The car service Uber is fighting in cities all over America to end the regulatory capture enjoyed by the taxicab industry. According to the mayors of Atlanta and New Orleans, they’re going to win–but not before there’s a long, intense fight about regulations.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed put it this way:

I think they’re going to fight a 15 round fight, and I think that Uber’s going to win. And the taxicab industry is going to have to change and get more flexible.

But in the interim, they’re going to flat out fight it out, and mayors are going to be in the middle of it, because the taxicab industry is so old and staid and never had real competition, and now it’s being forced to innovate.

Uber has a real challenge. Uber has to maintain the level of quality that made Uber the brand it is today. And I think that at this point in the life cycle of that business, and that space, they haven’t had time to go out there and do 5 years and 7 years and 8 years to see, is your Uber experience the same. Because I had one the other day that was pretty close to a cab. So they’re going to have to fight that out. I know that I’m going to get a mean letter, Uber.

I love you.

via Mayors of Atlanta and New Orleans: Uber Will Beat the Taxi Industry – Conor Friedersdorf – The Atlantic.