Taxi, as a service, is undergoing its biggest disruption today, and for good reason. When a traditional company charges 38 euros for an airport ride in Brussels and Uber takes 13 euros for the same route, you ask yourself what exactly warrants a triple fee? The classic argument is that existing (read: dinosaur) companies are keen on insurance and paying proper taxes, assuming that Uber drivers do not.

In reality, they must submit applications, a clean criminal record, IDs, must have their car on their name and they can only receive payments on their bank accounts, hence full oversight of the tax authorities is ensured. On top of this, the review system works magically: which driver would dare to risk a low passenger rating and lose client?

Not only is the service quality superior and price lower but the overall customer experience is far better too. No cash changes hands, and the smooth app makes it all work like a charm.

So here is the ugly truth: taxi companies can lobby for the status quo with lawmakers, but they would be better off spending their time improving their service or finding a new niche and forging strategic alliances.

The basic service of driving someone from A to B is no longer their monopoly, and we customers could not be happier about it.

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