I can remember back in 2010, in sf, when taxis would haggle you for wanting to use a credit card, even when they all were labeled with visa window stickers and had machines! They would put cardboard signs in the back that said "cash only, I pay 5% to cc company". I felt bad for drivers who 'all of the sudden' found themselves making 5% less because of credit cards, but come on, let's get with the times! don't haggle your customers. hide that from the customers and raise all prices if you have to.
At the minimum, über has forced taxis to get with the program.
Indeed, the entrance of Uber has made taxi rides a market for lemons. The most pleasant and least avaricious drivers are better off within Uber's higher-accountability system.
This is nothing specific to SF, either. This kind of nonsense is exactly what dysfunctional markets looks like, and it's everywhere, which is why Uber seems such a breath of fresh air to consumers around the globe.
Well, almost everywhere. You know where they don't pull this kind of flimflammery, right? That's right, in Japan, where Uber doesn't even try to replace cab companies, it just provides an easier way to book rides with one:
Rude service in a taxi in Japan would be somewhat shocking, but they're also comparatively more expensive than most other places. One time I couldn't find a hotel in Tokyo, so I took a taxi- it turned out to be just around the block, but it still cost like $6. But hey, the cars are nice and the white glove thing is always an interesting contrast to NYC.
Japan and the Japanese as a society are very into following the rules and rebellion and standing out is frowned upon so the general MO of Uber wouldn't have worked there.
Given that offering a universal way to book a taxi is the best thing they could have done.
Not to mention by the looks of it taxi cab services there are way ahead of their peers in the US launching their own apps etc.
At the minimum, über has forced taxis to get with the program.