About the same time that Uber launched I tried to launch a similar startup except that it was purely a dispatch service. Our plan was not to have any cars, but rather to just provide centralized dispatch for cab companies. The economics were win-win for everyone but we couldn't get a single cab company to sign on with us because each one was happy with its little fiefdom that was blissfully free of competition. The result was universally terrible UX. So regardless of whether or not Uber is actually better than what it displaced IMHO it's a net win simply for having displaced the old ossified cab companies. Maybe Uber will be swept away and replaced with something better, maybe it won't, but at least now we have a shot.