I think it's a false dichotomy to assume that we cannot have a level playing field and respect employment laws without having absurdly onerous taxi regulation.
Uber drivers are clearly not contractors by any useful definition. All taxi companies should be regulated the same. We don't want regulatory arbitrage to be the main competitive advantage of new companies just because they call themselves tech companies.
Surely, that doesn't mean we have to defend the sort of ridiculous protectionism that taxi companies enjoy in some cities.
Uber drivers are clearly not contractors by any useful definition. All taxi companies should be regulated the same. We don't want regulatory arbitrage to be the main competitive advantage of new companies just because they call themselves tech companies.
Surely, that doesn't mean we have to defend the sort of ridiculous protectionism that taxi companies enjoy in some cities.