Uber had a pretty fast uptake because it offered cheaper fixed price rides on medium to long journeys (>$25) and because Aussies love new technology
Uber drivers were attracted very quickly: they've got a car, they're out of work/in menial work so it was a no-brainer that they'd enter the taxi industry w/o the need for a plate, training, clearances, etc
Rapid driver uptake translated to apparently quicker(?) and better(?) service than cabs
the publics antagonism towards "foreign" drivers in chuck-smelling cabs helped Uber immensely
Taxi reality will set in the longer drivers operate for Uber: high fuel and maintenance costs will start to bite and income from Uber will be insufficient: expect a general exodus of drivers out of the business: of course there may be a continual supply of new starry-eyed drivers to replace them, so the net effect is unknown
I would guess (!) that a reasonable majority of taxi fares are taken for business purposes. As has been pointed out elsewhere, you cant get/its more complicated to get a receipt from Uber. That's a big issue that they might be able to address, who knows?
Uber's entry has made the taxi companies try harder, so has been a good thing. It has also made governments consider taxi deregulation, also a good thing - for the public, at least.
CAB needs to consider its business model and where will it be in the near, medium, and long term future. A proliferation of payment apps will make their current model unsustainable. Deregulation will make their taxi business irrelevant. I wait with baited breath to learn how management will transition the company to the new reality.
CAB Price at posting:
$3.30 Sentiment: Hold Disclosure: Held