p/e=8 only, page-23

Isn't that whole thing with Uber is that they claim they don't need a license because they are effectively operating as a hire car company. The only thing they can't do is pick up passengers off the street with no booking.

The upside of not having to pay for taxi licenses is they can offer cheaper fares. This means they have a competitive advantage for the pre-booking fares.

There are some grey areas around this, but I'm sure their legal team investigated all this before entering the market, and at the end of the day it leads to more competition and better rates for the end consumer.